A Flood of Blood to the Heart
by anomaisie
Summary: Nearing the end of her Junior year in college, a young woman escorts her friend to a party. The night ends in an unfortunate tragedy that leads her life in a direction she never expected. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

I stared blankly at the paper in front of me as my professor paced in front of the class at a slow yet steady pace watching his students write their essays. I don't know when I became so good at writing, or doing anything, on demand, but I wasn't going to complain. I also wasn't going to lift my head and risk Professor Michelson thinking me a cheater. I'd be the third one just today. His tolerance was zero and he had the eyes of an eagle.

"Time." He shouted a bit too loudly. Maybe it was because I was in the front row. I slid my paper down to the end of the row and watched him collect each piece of paper with an expression that lacked emotion.

-

"God damn it! I was missing half of that fucking list." Alyssa walked next to me, practically tearing out her dark brown hair.

"It'll be fine. We write one every week, messing one up won't hurt." I told her with confidence in my tone. "Besides, you have a habit of getting the grades you want by then end anyways." I smiled at her.

"Yeah. I'm definitely more of a last minute worker." She mumbled and we both stopped talking about it.

I dropped her off at her dorm before walking up to the third floor and entered my own room.

"Hey Mal." I greeted my roommate turned best friend with a hug from behind as she worked on her chemistry paper.

"Oh, hey Cace. How was class."

"Another essay. I don't know why people are so surprised when it comes. Seriously it's every week. Be prepared every day until it comes. Not that hard." I let the little rant out as I laid back on my bed with a sigh. "How's the chem going?"

A sigh escaped Mallory's lips. "Good I guess. I love it, but it's getting complicated. I might start seeing someone from the class to tutor me. I'm really stuck on this.." I let her go off into the details of her work without much to contribute to her troubles.

"So are we going to the party tonight?" Mallory asked looking at me for the first time since I got back to the room. I laughed for a solid minute before containing myself.

"Which one? It's Thursday. Everyone has their parties tonight."

"I don't know.. the TouDelts always have pretty good parties.." She mumbled and my face lit up immediately.

"Oh my God! Did something happen between you and Erik?" I asked excitedly and she just blushed and looked back to her finished paper. "Oh come on Mal! It's just us." I said quieter, wanting to get the details out.

"Well.. He offered to start helping me with my chem and he invited me to the party tonight. That's it."

"That's it?! Mal that's awesome! Now you have the whole night to let him know the crazy, non academic part of you." I winked and she smiled for the first time with a hint of excitement in her eyes. "Let's go get ready. I have the perfect dress for you." I smiled sweetly and pulled her reluctant body to the closet.

-

"Are you sure this isn't too.. revealing?" Mallory asked with a pout playing in her lips as she pulled the dark green silky material up to cover more of her breasts.

"You look hot Mal." I reassured her as we walked to the frat house. I looked over to see the green material flow behind her, showing off the amazing shape of her long legs. The black belt clinched at her waist giving her 5' 8" body the perfect shape. Her long black hair was done up in a perfect little bun on her head while her big brown eyes were accented by brown liner. She was the essence of sexy.

The music was loud and could be heard before they even got to the yard of the place. Aside from the loud music and people dancing in the windows the house looked quite clean.. For now. I wrapped my bare arm around Mallory's and walked through the threshold of the large frat house that seemed to be filled to the brim with students. Erik had been close to the door when we walked in and I smiled brightly and shook his hand as he introduced himself.

"I'm Casey. I've heard a lot about you." I smiled and he looked at Mallory who then smiled at him.

"Hope nothing too bad." He joked and I laughed.

"I don't think I've heard a negative thing about you." He lit up at that and offered his arm to Mallory who gladly took it and waved to me. I made a shooing motion with my hands and watched her go off with her crush since we became roommates on the first day of school. Maybe before, but she never really talked about it. She wasn't as much of a romantic as some people I know, in fact she usually shied away from those who she liked. She told me it was because she didn't want a relationship here, but I had a feeling she feared rejection most of all.

I didn't realize that I had been left all alone for about five minutes when I stood in a corner and realized that I had no one to socialize with while I drank. My big, doey brown eyes scanned the room to find a familiar face, but none of them were and then I realized that everyone in this fraternity happened to be science majors, not Math.

I finished my fourth beer before moving into the crowd to dance. The best part about parties like this was no one cared who you were as long as you blended in. The drinks had started to go to my head and it completely took away any nervousness I had before about joining the large group of dancers. I found myself teasing against man after man having as much fun as I could before good girl Mallory could take me away, but it wasn't her that got me out of the house.

"Campus security!" A voice interrupted the music quickly and most of the crowd turned to the door and started to pile out. "If you do not live here leave!" The voice was deep and probably could be heard down the street. I followed the crowd blindly out the door and could feel alcohol being spilled onto my dark blue mini-dress, but that was a problem for later. I had to get Mallory home. I had to get me home. I looked around quickly for Mallory and didn't see her anywhere. I had followed a group into the backyard and everyone started to disperse to their own houses and dorms, but I couldn't leave Mallory here.

There was a forest that was about half a square mile behind the house that had a path to most other fraternities and I decided to wait at the mouth of it to see if Mallory came out.

"Hey." A voice came from behind and I turned to see a cute boy with a young face. "You waiting for someone too?" He asked me as he pointed to the house that had gotten in trouble.

"Yeah. She was with one of the members, so maybe she got caught up in it. She'll either come back here or I'll catch her over there." I pointed to the left of the house. "Because that's the way to our dorm. I'll catch up either way." I sighed hoping she came out the back so I wouldn't have to rush her.

"I'm waiting for my sister, or well, twin. We got separated, but I'd see her coming out that way." He pointed to the right of the large house. "Because her Sorority is that way."

"Wow sorority first year? Lucky." I guessed his age nervously

"Paid good money for it. All her friends got in, but she still drags me to the parties. I guess a brother feels safer than friends." He shrugged indifferently and I smiled at my assumption being correct.

"I'm Casey by the way." I smiled at him while I peered into his deep green eyes.

"Ben. Hey, um.. I found my sister, but you should call me sometime." He said and grabbed a pen out of his pocket and started writing on the back of my hand. I looked over to where a petite blonde girl was walking on the right of the house trying to get back to her house before someone saw her. Even from such a distance I could tell they were related. She was small and had bright blonde hair and he was pretty small himself for a guy and his hair was the same shade of the whitish yellow.

I looked back over to Ben when he stopped writing, but I didn't find the boy in front of me like he had been.

"Ben!" I shouted with confusion clear in my voice I looked down at my hand and saw only five numbers. I sighed. Maybe he wanted to catch up to his sister more than get a girl. Made sense, but he was gone so fast. I didn't even see him go. I felt a raindrop on me and sighed. I couldn't wait for Mallory all night. She probably was already- My thought was interrupted by another drop coming down, but this time it ran over my eye and I could swear that it was black. I touched my cheek and looked at my finger to see a dark red sticky liquid.

I started shaking and looked up with light from my cellphone glowing on Ben's dead eyes and I screamed.

A hand covered my mouth before the sound could leave my area and pulled me back. I pushed and kicked at whoever was pulling me, but their grip was like iron around my tiny 5' 3" body. I felt my bright blonde hair being shifted around to my right shoulder before my attacker stabbed me in the neck. I screamed from the pain first and then kept screaming into their hand as I realized it was teeth that had sunk into me and started to suck the life from me.

I started to panic and flail until the slightest movement hurt me and I slumped against my attacker. He took more and more until I was sure I had no blood left in my body. But how was I still alive? My eyes were open and I could see the ground come up to me in a quick motion.

"Two for two. For once Campus security did me a solid." A laugh left the mouth of a man and I watched his back as he took two steps deeper into the forest before disappearing completely. Tears came to my eyes and Blood was still pouring from my neck. I used my last bit of strength to roll onto my side so that maybe I would lose less blood, but as darkness crept in I realized that nothing would stop me from dying now. I closed my horrified eyes and let darkness consume me in a peaceful haze.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A flood of memories_**

The first thing I remember hearing is a very faded beeping repeating at a steady rate. A jumble of voices came next. Two were loud and accusing and one was very quiet and tired.

"We need a report filed soon. It's been almost five days. There could be ten, twenty more kids dead already."

"I don't have one. I don't know what happened. I found her and the boy in the little wooded area by the fraternities when I was walking back to mine." The tired voice was talking now. Did they say five days?

"Yeah yeah, for your sake you better hope that girl wakes up." The stern voice stated heavily leaving the room with quite the atmosphere. Two pairs of heavy shoes left the room before a small patter came up by my own head and I so desperately wanted to open my eyes.

"Come on kiddo." I heard the masculine and exhausted voice closer to my ear now and a hand ran through my hair. I pinched my eyes together and dared a look through them. I had been able to smell that I was in a hospital before I saw it, but that didn't take away the shock on my face when I saw the sterile white room around me. I heard the boy next to me inhale sharply and my fog filled eyes met his beautifully blue eyes.

"Oh Jesus." I recognized a slight southern twinge in his voice and it comforted me somewhat. I smiled to respond to him, letting him know that my eyes hadn't just opened because I died, though the beeps indicating my heartbeat would probably do that for him. He smiled back and with it came the look of exhaustion that I didn't see before. My vision started to get clearer and I watched his fingers run over a button with a little lady on it.

"Hold on, the nurse will be here in a second." he mumbled as if suddenly nervous. I wanted to sit up. It felt like there was a knot in my neck and I really needed to readjust myself.

"Up." My voice was disgustingly raspy, but I still pointed with my finger to my head and then to the ceiling so that he might get the idea. Horror seemed to cross his eyes and then realization and a short bit of humiliation before he chuckled.

"You mean sit up?" He asked me.

"Yeah." I replied. He looked unsure for a moment, but I figured it was just because he didn't know if he was allowed to play with my bed. He pressed the button and I felt my torso being lifted up until I was almost at a sitting position and it really helped my back that I didn't even realize was sore.

"Hey!" A sharp pitch filled the room and I looked over to the middle-aged woman in red scrubs. Walked in quickly. "You aren't authorized to touch that sir." She sounded tired and annoyed by the man on my right.

-

It took about an hour for her to check my body and mental state. She asked me questions which I answered to my best ability. I honestly didn't remember anything after running out of the house because it got noise complaints. She filled me in on my injuries and everything seemed pretty likely to happen when drinking. Bruises all around me. half a phone number written on my hand, found on the ground. Sounded like me.

"But when the kid brought you in you had lost almost a liter of blood. It wouldn't have been that odd, only the wound didn't puncture your jugular. Thank goodness or you really would have died." She said too cheerily. Would it really have been so bad to die? I shook the thought from my head. What brought that on?

"So did someone stab me or what?"

"Well we were hoping you could tell us. The boy we found not far from you had half his neck ripped out, but you just have four little puncture holes on your neck as if you were attacked by an animal." She looks through my charts quickly to make sure she was giving the correct information.

"How long have I been here?"I can faintly remember hearing it, but the number wouldn't come up.

"Four and a half days. I would say five, but you were brought in early and it's about five o clock in the evening Tuesday May 15th." My eyes widened and I leaned forward suddenly, bringing on a lot of pain to my body.

"You really shouldn't move Miss Avery." She scolded me gently and I cautiously leaned back.

'I've missed so much school." My hands came up around my head as I thought about all the work I would have to catch up on. "Oh my God.." I groaned. She gave me a worried look before a smile broke out on her thin red lips.

"I'm sure everything will be fine. You'll be able to catch up. We'll keep you here until Thursday morning and your friend offered to get your work and while you're here you can catch up. Nothing else to do." She stated honestly. I did my best to smile, but two days of catching up on all that math didn't seem all that appealing.

-

Mallory came around seven and visited with me, telling me about Erik and what happened. She also made it a point to complain about having to get my work from Alyssa. I knew better than anybody how much they hated each other. I didn't keep her long. She had a date with Erik in an hour and I shooed her off so she could get ready for it. She left me with a hug and a sweet smile at the corners of her full lips.

Only about five minutes passed after her leaving before the man who had apparently saved me came back into my room with a sheepish smile.

"Hey." He raised a hand in my direction and I mocked his action with a smile. Company was so much better than homework. "I guess we never actually met. I'm Avery." He greeted with an arm extended towards me which I grabbed weakly with a huge grin.

"That's my last name." I giggled and his shy smile from before spread across his face.

"What a coincidence." I swore I could just fall in love with the deep calmness that his voice brought me.

"The first is Casey though, so as long as you aren't one of those boys who call their friends by their last name we should be fine." I chuckled and he joined me.

"Nah, I like usin' first names." He told me.

"Good." I started at him for longer than I should have, staring at his slightly puffier lips that were surrounded by a dark beard that covered half his face and went from ear to ear.

"A picture would last a lot longer darlin' " He smirked and I turned at least three different shades of red as I looked away from him.

"I just really like your beard.." I mumbled a bit boldly. "I didn't mean to stare. It's a good beard.." I tried to bring the humor back into the conversation and he let it happen more naturally that I had intended.

"Funnily enough I got it from my mom's side of the family. She doesn't have one or anything, but her brothers do and her dad has had once since I was born. Thought I'd pick up on the tradition." It was my turn to smile now. This guy got better and better.

"So Avery.." I said turning the conversation to a more productive route. "You saved me I hear." He blushed now and it was the most adorable thing I think I ever did see.

"Yeah. Found you bleedin' out in the woods. I didn't know if you were dead yet so I called the police and got you to a hospital as fast as I could." His expression turned grim as he recalled something. "Your friend though.. he was dead. I didn't touch him because as soon as there's a dead body it's a crime scene. I almost didn't pick you up, but you were breathing. Barely, but I wasn't going to let you die waiting for an ambulance." He sighed and looked at his hands that were folded neatly on the edge of my bed. "Been here ever since. I've had police on my back since I was the only one who called. They also think it's suspicious that I took you from the scene, but I don't think you'd be here if I didn't."

I watched him talk and felt a small stir in my chest. The man before me literally saved my life. I'd never misuse that figure of speech again.

"Thank you." I laid my Tube and wired covered hand over his and smiled. "I owe my life to the sweetest man I think I ever could." He blushed again and I felt my cheeks get a bit warmer as well.

"I don't know about that.. I once cheated on a math test. No saints here." I laughed and he smiled and we spent a good few hours talking about our lives and in the morning I found myself missing Avery Miner the 23 year old aspiring English professor.

-  
-

"I'm seriously so envious of your ability to just sit down and get your shit done." Alyssa mumbled as she looked over all the work I had gotten done in the hospital as we walked to the last class of the day. "I don't even know half this shit and I've been sitting in class for a whole week listening to him explain it ten different times." She complained. I shrugged.

"I just get it. I never particularly liked math, but it all clicks so easily and I really love writing out the processes. It's like the perfect combination of math and English." I smiled and I could practically hear her roll her eyes. "Fucking nerd." I heard her mutter and I smiled.

I was sure to get there early to hand him everything that I missed. He thanked me with an extremely bored tone. I don't think he liked that I was never stumped. Funny. Teachers usually liked the kids that understood the work. He seemed to hate me for it.

"Let's welcome back Casey. In celebration write me an essay of what you have learned in this course. I expect a thousand words in the next hour and a half." He set his timer and the entire class groaned. It was the first time he did two in a week. At least it was over old material this time. "go." He said and like that the scribbles of pens and pencils filled the room.

-

"Uggg.. I almost want to hate you for that." Alyssa groaned.

"Jesus. I want to hate me for that. I seriously think he just wants to see me fail." I sigh even though I know I have nothing to worry about.

"I don't think he's had a student so.. on top of things. He seems like the type who has to be the best. Maybe he thinks you'll challenge him one day and be right."

"The semester is almost over. If I didn't do it yet I don't think I will be." I sighed. It didn't matter. I never had to take a course of his again.

The conversation moved on to what Alyssa liked to deem more 'pressing' matters, which meant my relationship with Avery. She definitely had an interest in the southern boy, but she would never admit it to me. Not when she though something was going on between us.

-

I walked into my dorm with a smile, but found it empty. I sighed and threw my stuff onto my bed. I had to fill out everything I remembered about that night for the police and Mallory wasn't even here to distract me. I grabbed the papers and sat myself at the desk and forced myself to write everything I could remember out for them.

I was almost done and I was racking my brain as best I could for every last detail I could muster. I vaguely remembered that the kid's name was Ben and that we talked about finding our friends, but everything else was still black. I thought about the best way to write it out while I listened to an old play-list on my ipod.

I looked at the clock. I had been writing a good two hours. That was more time than it took me to do my regular homework and I still wasn't done. I hummed and almost didn't notice the hand slowly wrapping around my eyes until I couldn't see anything. I pulled out an earbud.

"Mal, I'm doing something important." A second hand wrapped around my mouth.

"Guess again." A very deep and very familiar voice filled my ear and I screamed as everything from that night flooded through my mind- making me remember every last detail of the night that I was supposed to die.


	3. Chapter 3

"Casey! Casey! It's me!" He uncovered my eyes and poked his head into my vision. I stopped screaming and my eyes started to tear up in both relief and leftover fear from my little heart attack.

"Nooo... Don't cry. I'm sorry." Avery pulled me into his chest and petted my hair awkwardly.

"I didn't mean to scare you. It's okay. You're fine." He whispered and I hugged him close to me as if he were some kind of teddy bear that would be able to save me from the nightmares I knew I would be having now.

"I remember. I remember what happened to me. I. I.."

"Shhh... Calm down. Breathe. It's fine. You're fine. I'm here." His voice was so soothing compared to the false darkness he had tried to pass off before.

"Avery.." I breathed when as my shaking body started to calm down. "I remember what happened. I remember everything." I mumbled and thought over the horrific night again.

"You don't have to talk about it, but I'm here if you do." How could someone not like this man? I pulled away from his kneeling body and stood from the chair, letting the other earbud fall from my ear.

"I... I'll feel better if I write it down and you read it." I mumbled and went to my bag on the bed to get some blank papers to bring back to the desk. "Then I don't feel ridiculous and stop in the middle of it..." I paused and sighed. I didn't want to write this. No one would believe that some guy BIT my neck. No fucking way. "Please don't laugh at me. It's ridiculous and I don't want to believe it, but it all came back to me. He covered my mouth like that and then your voice.. It just reminded me of what happened."

"So are you going to give the police this story?" He asked the question he clearly thought he knew the answer to.

"No way. Once you read it you'll know why." My voice was low as my pen started to scribble out every last detail. Ben, the cute kid who was looking for his sister. Him writing his number on my hand while I watched for Mallory. I even included the haziness from the alcohol, though it was a very moot detail. Once Ben stopped writing on my hand I stopped writing on the paper.

"I already know that much more or less.." He frowned down at me as he read over my shoulder, or more, my head.

"Go sit on the bed." I commanded, not wanting to hear his chuckles before I was done writing.

"Yes ma'am." I loved his accent so much.

Now, back to the writing. I didn't want to continue. This was where it got weird. I wrote out having felt the rain, what I thought was rain and looking up to find the dead freshman overhanging in the trees with a fresh look of horror in his dead eyes. I saw Avery in the corner of my eye looking through my bag, but I let him. At least he would be distracted.

I got all the way to feeling the stab in my neck before feeling utterly ridiculous, but I continued. Avery was running out of things to distract himself with. I forced my hand back on the paper and wrote out in as much detail as I could what happened. How the hair brushed against my cheek to make me realize he bit me. The feeling of life slowly draining out of my body until I was discarded onto the ground. I found myself shaking as his voice reached my ear again, but I wrote on. "Two for two." He sounded so.. cocky. So evilly happy. I wrote how he was gone in the blink of an eye before my eyes were closed for what seemed like eternity.

"Here." I handed him the paper before I could even think about discarding it. He took it just as quickly probably knowing that if he didn't I would change my mind.

I watched his eyes twitch back and forth and as soon as he flipped the page my fingers started to twiddle and I couldn't stop myself from climbing onto my bed and reorganizing my bag. I heard a grunt come from his throat and I wanted to climb under my covers and die. This was so-

"This sounds more like a fiction novel than an explanation of your night. How many pages are here? Three for a description of like five.. ten minutes?" He was criticizing me before he even finished reading it! He looked back at me and my expression must have held doubt because he shot me a very irresistible and reassuring smile.

"Just not sure why you decided to write about math, that's all." He turned back to the paper and continued to read while I sat there with reddened cheeks and thoughts about being a creative writer. But real life isn't creative. I wasn't trying to be creative. I was trying to be realistic. He just thought that because he was used to criticizing papers. I hope he's not criticizing my paper. It's not a paper. It's a description.

"I.. I really don't know how to react Cace." Great, he was picking up the nickname too. "I mean, it makes sense. An animal wouldn't have let go. Your neck would be gone like your.. Ben's." Was that jealously? "But Casey.. teeth aren't that long. The punctures were almost an inch long, not a centimeter."

"You think I don't know that? Why do you think I was so antsy about telling you?" I glared at him and he just stared at me. "Don't believe me. I don't care." I grabbed the paper from him and threw it in the little trash bin by the desk before grabbing my leather jacket that cut off in the middle of the ribs and throwing it on over my knee length white summer dress.

"Where are you going?" He asked with a tired sigh as I pulled my curly blonde locks back from my face into a ponytail.

"A party." I answered honestly.

"You look like you're dressin' down, not up." He looked over me and I couldn't help but think he was judging me.

"Why should I dress up. I don't have anyone to impress. I just want some free beer and good music to dance to..." I looked at him for a moment before making my decision. "You're coming with me, so even less reason to dress up."

"Is that an insult?" He looked falsely offended and I smiled.

"It might be."

"Jokes on you, I always think you're beautiful." He mumbled and caught my hand to pull me closer to him. "I always think you're right." He kissed my hand. "And I believe that what you wrote really happened." He kissed my nose and I was pretty sure my whole face had a red glow to it. "But we can talk about that later." He pulled away from me and I felt cold when he did. "We have some parties to crash."

I smiled and took his hand so he could lead me into the dark Friday night.

-

"Casey!" I heard Alyssa's shrill before I saw her and I couldn't help but think I chose the wrong party.

"Hey Aly." I gave her a smile and returned the hug she gave me.

"I didn't know if you'd come out. You got out of the hospital just last night after all." She looked me over for just a moment before turning to Avery and giving a toothy grin. "Hey Avery. I didn't know you were the party type."

"I'm not. Casey dragged me here against my will." The two of them laughed and I elbowed his side playfully.

"Hey, I let you choose where we went." I defended my action with a smile. "And you know you want to dance with me." I grabbed his hand with a smirk and led him to the middle of the crowd to dance leaving Alyssa to her party.

"I thought for sure you'd pick a sorority party. More girls at those."

"Yeah, well I thought being at my place might be a nice change." My eyes widened and he laughed. "I told you I was from a frat house. I just didn't say which one." He grabbed my hand and turned me around before bringing my back against his chest and swayed our bodies to the beat.

"Want to see my room?" His voice was just above a whisper and I was the only one that could hear it over the booming music.

I turned to face him with a smirk on my face. "You don't want to get me drunk first?" I asked jokingly, but his face got serious.

"I would never take advantage of you like that Casey. That isn't even funny." Geeze, someone was being serious Steven tonight.

"Sorry. I'd love to see your room." He smiled and gripped my wrist to drag me through the house and up a set of stairs before stopping in front of a plain white door. I half expected to see some weird orgy going on in the room, but it was empty save a bed, dresser and small desk in the corner. I stepped in and sat in the spinny chair at the desk.

"It's kind of plain in here." I commented as I spun once around the room to get a good look at it all.

"I don't want a place I don't consider home to feel like one. Otherwise I might miss it." He looked sad. It was his last year here and I understood well what he was going through. "Could have decorated anyways because I'll be missing it anyways. Especially now that I met you." He sat on his bed and scratched his beard.

"Ha, well I'm portable, so we'll be able to keep in touch. And you've only known me like three days."

"Romeo and Juliet only knew each other for like four days." He smiled and I don't know why I expected anything less from someone going to school to become a teacher.

"Romeo and Juliet is unrealistic. Fiction." I said and walked to sit behind him on the bed. "Takes a lot longer than a couple days to get me naked." I whispered into his ear.

"Aww shit, I thought for sure I was getting some tonight." He laughed and the slight rise of his head indicated his rolling of the eyes. He became still and I smiled as he turned his head towards me, but I found myself surprised at the seriousness in his facial expression.

"Casey. I brought you here to ask you something and before I can talk myself out of it I'm going to ask." I got extremely nervous as he spoke and the pause felt like forever. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Oh my God." I sighed a breath of relief and rested my head against his shoulder. "You're being so serious. Of course I'll be your girlfriend." I said and kissed his scruffy cheek. "Tone down the seriousness though. I keep thinking you're going to like tell me you're gonna disappear or kill me." I joked and a smile broke out on his face.

"Have to do the second part first then disappear." He leaned back to rest his head on my shoulder. "Speaking of disappearing, I should get you home"

"It's only one." I pouted and I could see the fight to keep the seriousness from his face.

"Well, I'm going to bed, so if you want to walk home.." I groaned. Of course I didn't want to be alone! He knew that too.

"Fine. Let's go." I grumbled and stood from the bed.

"I just don't want to end up the next Ben." He laughed and I returned it half heartedly. It didn't sit well with me that he found humor in the words.

"Yeah. I don't want that either." I mumbled before he lead me from the room.

The night was cool and the streets were empty for the most part with all the students still in houses partying. I wanted to be partying..

"So. Do you think Mallory will like me? I still haven't met her." He started up a conversation and I realized how distracted I must have seemed.

"I think she'll just be happy I've showed a serious interest in a guy. She didn't seem to like the idea of me being a flirt. Thought I would get hurt."

"That rhymed... I mean she has a point. You could get hurt. I mean if it were my sister or something I wouldn't like the idea of her flirting around."

"Good thing I don't have a brother then. I don't need more than one person telling me that teasing was bad." I laughed trying to get past the fact that he had just used a sister figure to give his own opinion on my behavior. Or was I over thinking this? Why I was so nervous?

"I just don't see you being the teasing type. You were so quiet when I met you." I was going to defend my sleepiness when I woke up, but then I realized the joke.

"Whatever." I laughed and he joined for a brief second before being cut off by a man pushing between us roughly. He seemed like he was in a rush, but that was really rude. I looked back to find the man frozen and to my horror I recognized the back side of the man.

"Hey! What the fuck dude!" Avery shouted at the still figure. I didn't waste any time getting him to not go near him.

"Come on. It's not worth it. You're fine. Let's go." I pulled on him, but he pulled me right back.

"No this guy needs to apologize. He's in such a rush then he's just going to sto-" I looked at Avery who turned back to look at the man before I realized why he stopped. My eyes followed his to see that the area was empty.

"Come on Avery. Please let's go. We're so close. Let's just get back.." He must have heard the slight panic in my voice, or maybe the grip he had on my wrist was giving away my quickened heartbeat.

"Okay." He seemed to understand and we walked hastily to the dorm, thankfully undisturbed. We stepped in the elevator and I looked at his face that still held a bit of disbelief.

"Was that.." I just shook my head.

"I don't know Ave.. I couldn't tell you because anyone can wear a hoodie and jeans, but..."

"He just disappeared." I wasn't sure if he was finishing my sentences or making his own statements.

"Yeah. I.." I looked up at him and his gaze found mine. "Will you stay with me tonight?" I asked him while I had his attention. He just nodded his head. I don't think he would have left even if I asked him to. The doors opened and I walked to my room and knocked to see if Mallory was in, but silence came from the other side. I unlocked the door and pushed open the door and froze.

"Welcome home lovely."


	4. Chapter 4

**_It's shorter, but I needed to split the chapter in half for cliffhanger reasons. c;_**  
**_Review please! One review will get you chapter 5 tonight! (:_**

My heart raced and I immediately backed into Avery and tried to shut the door in front of me. A hand gripped my wrist tightly and pulled me back into the room. My side ran into the doorknob as my body was used to re open the door.

"Now now, don't want dinner to get away." He said as he pulled me into the room. I pulled from him with all my body weight, but he dragged me like some sort of doll. It was as if I weighed nothing to him. "Don't make this difficult for yourself dear. I just have a few questions for you." He sat me down in the wooden chair by the desk.

"Casey!" I heard pounding on the door and I wondered when it even got closed.

"Avery! Get hel-" My screams were silenced by a hand.

"Shhh.." His voiced seemed to purr in my ear and I shuddered. "I'll kill him if he becomes a problem. Do you understand me?" I nodded and tears pricked my eyes. I felt like I was going to die. I am going to die. That's the only thought that ran through my mind. He came to finish the job.

"Now. I'm going to go get your boyfriend and you're going to sit here for forty-two seconds without moving. Do you understand this?" He asked, leaning down so that I could see his pale blue eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. "I want to hear your voice love."

"Y-yes." I was shaking.

"One... Two.." He started the count as he walked towards the door and when he opened it the hall seemed empty, but he was only at six. I started counting in my head. Crash! Twenty-three. Bang! Thirty. I heard footsteps at forty and the two men appeared at forty-two. Avery had blood covering a good portion of his face. A large cut on his head made blood run down his face and I was ninety percent sure he had a broken nose.

"Avery!" I cried and stood to help him, but the hooded man pushed me backwards onto the floor as soon as I got close enough.

"I said don't move." His voice was dark and he threw Avery to the bed like he was a sack of apples. He sat on the edge while Avery covered his face and groaned in pain.

"Now Casey... Horrid name by the way for someone with a face like yours." He caressed my cheek and I jerked away from him. He didn't like that. His hand clenched my jaw in an iron grip that would leave my face looking not so pretty in the morning. "Do **not** make a move against me or I** will** hurt you." He obviously wasn't in a mood for games.

"Okay." My voice was hardly even a whisper, but he heard me.

"So, let's get straight to the point. I am guessing since you somehow survived that you know what I am. You seemed to have described it well enough." He threw the papers at me and I looked to find the writing I had scribbled down just a couple of hours ago. "Good writing by the way, too bad you don't make it to dawn."

"Fuck you." The sound came from Avery and everyone's attention went to him. The blood seemed to have clotted, but he still looked like he just stepped out of a horror movie. He was sitting up now and leaning against my headboard just glaring at the guy who was keeping him there.

The man's hand gripped Avery's wrist and held the hand up for both of us to see. "If either of you speak out of terms again I will break every bone in your bodies." He grabbed one of Avery's fingers that had balled up into a fist. "Starting with your fingers." A snap filled the room and my hand shot to my mouth to covered the cry that had made it into my throat. Avery didn't have that control though. He groaned loudly and the sound hurt my ears. I could tell without looking at the finger that he was in pain. "Do we have an understanding?" He looked at Avery who was distracted with the pain in his finger.

"Yes, yes we have an agreement. Please don't hurt him." I begged the man. He looked at me with a sharp glare and let go of Avery's hand.

"Perfect." He stated darkly. He gave his full attention to me and I gave mine to him as well. "Where were we, oh yes, how the hell are you still alive?" He was sharp and straight to the point and... angry.

"I... I went to the hospital." I answered him honestly with my arms wrapped around my legs tightly and insecurely.

"Your heart stopped beating. No fucking way you made it to a hospital for revival in time." He stood quickly to get even more height on my shrinking frame. "You were dead. I don't make mistakes." He was pacing around my room, but I kept my eyes on Avery once the stranger was out of my field of view. He seemed to have calmed down, but he wouldn't look anywhere but his hands.

"Hey!" I looked over to where the man was standing. He was glaring at me again. "If I find your attention away from me again I'll break his whole hand." It was a promise. I leaned against the bed and watched the man walk around the room for a good twenty seconds before staring down at me again.

"You were** dead.** Your heart stopped. I killed you." He was kneeling down to come face to face with me again and I could see wisps of his shining blonde hair coming down to his perfectly pointed nose. I couldn't help but notice his lips were perfectly full and his cheekbones sat high on his ashy face. I wanted to touch him, he was blindingly beautiful, but I held my hands at my sides.

"I left you there. Dead." He was really pressing this 'dead' issue. "And what do I smell a week later but the same delicious scent of the first rainfall in a fucking flower meadow in all of it's fucking life and glory." His eyes narrowed and his hand was around my throat constricting my air. "You can imagine my shock when I walked by and saw that sure enough you were prancing around giggling with... him." He pointed his perfectly molded chin to Avery. "I was just going to come tie up loose ends, but you _really_ caught my attention." I couldn't breathe, but I sat silently. Maybe he could just kill me. That would be fine. I didn't want to live through a nightmare like this anyways.

"Like right now. Look at my eyes." I looked away from him. I didn't want to play his games. He probably had a mind control thing going on if I did look. "See! You don't listen to me!" The hand left my throat and I could hear another crack behind me and I looked to see the vampire break Avery's entire hand.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!"I screamed and jumped onto the bed to get him away from Avery who looked like he was about to pass out. "I'll listen. Let him go! I'll listen!" I screamed as I pulled on the arm of this mystery man who I wanted dead more and more by the second.

"Why? I'm killing him anyways. He can't just go back, why not do it now." He looked at me with a malicious smile that made my heart beat five times as fast as I thought possible.

"Please don't." His hand slowly wrapped around Avery's neck who looked like he was accepting his fate. "Please!" I screamed, but it didn't tune out the crack that filled the room.


	5. Chapter 5

_**It's a long one guys, bear with me. **_  
_**Thank you for the two reviews I got! I love to hear what you think and if you want more or not and why! (:**_

"I don't think you understand, miss Avery, that I do not respond to begs and pleads. In fact, you just push me to do the things you ask me not to even more." I was crying. I was screaming and I was on top of Avery's dead body looking into the dead eyes that would haunt me forever. I shook him over and over again hoping that maybe he would pop back up to life.

"Oh please, you knew each other for what? Five minutes? I'm sure you were just bringing him here to fuck him." He stood from my bed so gracefully it hurt to try and keep up with the movement. I didn't even look at him. My head rested against Avery's chest while my body shook with sobs. "Get the fuck over here or you'll be right next to him." His voice held venom, but I was no longer afraid of the bite.

"Please! Make it easy! Kill me!" I yelled at him and in a single bound my head was slammed against the wall.

"What did I tell you about begging?" He asked and brought his hand to my neck. His finger slid from my ear to the side of my neck before I felt a stab of pain. His nail trailed down to the middle of my collarbone allowing blood to run freely down the right side of my chest. The cut wasn't deep, but it was like a papercut, only it was along my shoulder, not on my finger. A perfect slice too and It stung ten times worse.

"Now, look at my eyes." I started at his sweatshirt covered chest until I felt the same sting going down my arm and my eyes shot up to meet his and I had the urge to touch him again, but I pulled away from him even further at the though. "See!" He exclaimed and threw me onto Mallory's bed while he pushed the hood from his jacket so he could run his hand through his hair. "I try and make you do something and you just stand there and stare at me! No one can do that!" He seemed stressed and angry and a million different things that I couldn't pinpoint and I didn't know what to do about it.

"I don't know why! I don't! I didn't even know your kind existed until.." I looked at the clock and saw that it was nearing three. Either the walk home took up more time than I thought or this interrogation was. "Like five hours ago. I really didn't. Even then I didn't believe it. It's not like I've had practice at not being glamored." I thought of the first reference I could for the word of what he was trying to do. He started laughing. It was dark and mean and it hurt my ears, but it was a laugh all the same.

"This isn't True Blood, dear. This is real life. Every human's first reaction to seeing us is touching us and you haven't reached out to me once. Then, I try and make you touch me and you pulled back. Not ignored it. You knew what I was trying to do and you were able to deliberately pull away from me."

"I didn't know what you wer-"

"Shut up!" his voice boomed through the room and I froze. How was the entire dorm not awake yet? "you felt the urge. You took a step away from it." He looked out the window of my bedroom to the street that was probably filled with people coming back from parties by now.

It was silent for a good five minutes while he stared. I just thought about what he was saying. I was worried about the ability he seemed to think I had.

"I really want to get into that pretty little head of yours. I want to make you kill your friend when she gets up here in about two minutes and I want to know why the fuck you're still alive. It's been a night full of unanswered questions and this really doesn't sit well with me." He said and approached my body that had been laying on the bed, not daring to move away from the spot. I just stared at the ceiling preparing myself for the death of my best friend.

"But." I shot my head to him with a twisted expression. But? But what? "I cannot change these facts. I also cannot let her know of my existence, so.." He paused and grabbed the papers from the floor and tore them up faster than I could see. I just saw a full piece of paper and then a million little ones sprinkling the carpet white. "I'll take my leave. If I find a trace of information about this in any of your friends' heads I will kill them slowly and you will watch every second of it." His smile made me think he would do it even if I didn't tell them. "I will be here tomorrow and you better have some fucking answers for me."

"And if I don't?" Where did this boldness come from? It must coincide with the loss of my self worth.

"I'll tear off a limb every hour until you are a living torso and head." His voice held the same dark humor that seemed too true to be humor at all. He hoisted Avery's dead body over his shoulder like it was nothing and walked towards the door. "I'll see you in about seventeen hours or so. You better get to searching for those answers kid." And with that he was gone from my room. I wondered how far I could get in seventeen hours.

I was halfway done getting my bloodied blanket and sheets from my bed when Mallory came storming in.

"You and Avery are official and Alyssa gets to know first?!" She threw her purse on the bed before turning to look at me for the first time. She looked shocked and then she looked down to the sheets and back up to me with a hint of fear in her eyes, but it didn't seem to be of me.

"What happened Cace..?" I just stared at her until tears welled in my eyes. "Casey!" She took the ball of blood soaked laundry from my hands and got a good look at me before stepping back with her hand over her mouth.

"Oh my God Casey.." Her voice was shaky and I just stared down at myself with wide eyes. I wasn't sure if I looked more crazy or traumatized. "Did... did Avery do this?" My eyes shot up to meet hers. Why was that the first thing to come into her head?!

"No! Avery would never hurt me.. He never hurt anyone." There was the pain in my chest again that started the tears.

"That's a broad statement and to cry over. You've known him what? Three, four days?" She laughed trying to lighten the mood, but I'm pretty sure my face fell even more.

"It doesn't matter how long I've known him Mallory!" I snapped and she flinched before reflecting my look of anger.

"Jesus Cace, defend him harder. I was kidding. you're being a bitch." She walked to her bed now and I grabbed the pile of sheets again and took them to the laundry room after changing quickly so I could wash my clothes as well.

It was five when the laundry was done and I was beyond exhausted, but when I got back to my room sleep wouldn't find me. I stared at the ceiling wondering that if sleep should find me if I would wake to this morning. Starting over from this nightmare, but the vivid memory of what just happened told me that it was a fat chance.

I thought of Avery. The man who saved me from this monster in the first place had his life taken by the same. I was responsible. I should have listened. I was so stubborn.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" I looked over to see Mallory staring at me. "You've been laying there for like half an hour. We should talk." She suggested before standing and walking over to my bed.

"I can't sleep... Mal.. something bad happened tonight." I looked at her and she scooted closer to me on the bed and laid next to me. "I can't tell you everything. I really wish I could, but I'm in a lot of trouble and if I drag you in you might not come out.." She just stared at me expectantly.

"And..? How are you in trouble. Maybe I want to help. I think that I can handle anything you can throw at me. I mean I-"

"Avery's dead." I didn't look over to her, in fact I doubted I would ever be able to tear my eyes from the ceiling.

"What?" Mallory was sitting up now so she could see my face. Tears had been pooled in my eyes for a while, but now they ran down my cheek.

"It's all my fault. I should have died, not him." I sniffled and Mallory just continued to look down at me before wiping my tear. "I.. I just wanted to come home and.. and Avery took me and then.." Mallory wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into her chest.

"Shhh.. We can talk about it some other time. It's okay. Tell me later." She crooned.

I don't know how long I laid there allowing myself to really cry for the first time, but I woke up around two still wrapped up in a sleeping Mallory. I think she was the one that kept my nightmares away. I got up needing water and sipped it slowly. I only had about six hours before the man would come back.

"What are you thinking about?" Mallory's tired voice took me out of my own head and I looked to her. Her sweet and innocent face just made me want to protect it more.

"Going for a drive.. Do you have plans tonight?" I asked her, an idea sparking in my head.

"No, Erik went to his family's home for the weekend." She rubbed her eyes and brushed her messy tangle of hair back from her face.

"Do you want to go on a drive with me? I'll tell you what happened." She paused what she was doing for a second before looking to me again.

"Of course I want to go. Even if you didn't tell me. It sounded like a car accident though so I didn't know if you wanted to be around cars right away.." She mumbled and I was torn between laughing and crying. I wish it had just been a car accident..

"It wasn't a car accident. Like I said, I'll tell you in the car. Pack some clothes we might stay the night somewhere. You'll understand once I explain." I mumbled and she looked like she was second guessing herself. "Come on Mal, it will be safer for you away from here. I was attacked and they said they'd be back tonight. That's all I'm telling you until you are in my car." She looked at me with her wide chocolatey orbs.

"Oh my God Cace, what do you mean attacked. Why are they coming back?" She asked and I sighed as I packed pajamas and a bright blue sundress into my oversized purse.

"I'll tell you in the car." I repeated the phrase for the third time and she seemed to get it. She packed a shopping bag full of clothes and I mentally rolled my eyes. One night doesn't require five pairs of jeans, but I held my tongue.

"So, when are you going to start talking?" Mallory asked around three thirty. We had been driving almost an hour now and were nearing the border of Idaho. I decided to get a good distance before opening my mouth.

"Now." I said as I merged my silver '06 m5 bmw back onto the freeway after grabbing a bite to eat.

I looked over to Mallory who was playing on her phone.

"Okay, sooo.." She must have put her phone away because I could feel her expectant gaze.

"Okay. It started when I got back from class. I had everything done, so I decided to write out my police report and I was almost done when Avery came in behind me. He covered my eyes and I thought it was you and then he covered my mouth and whispered in my ear to guess again." I glanced over to her to make sure she was keeping up. I wouldn't say it twice.

"Why is that important?" She sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"Because that was what the guy who stabbed my neck did."

"Avery was the guy!" She was practically screaming in my ear.

"No! No no! But it made me remember. It was just like it was happening again and everything came rushing back to me. That's why it was important."

"Oooooohhhh.. well what happened that night? Why didn't you just start there and skip the part with Avery?"

"Because it's important."

"Okay."

"Okay, so I wrote it all down for him to read because I didn't want to start telling it and then stop because I felt ridiculous. I just wanted it all to be in front of him at the same time then I could sit back while he read. So I wrote it down in detail. Like three pages worth for five minutes. I wanted to get everything down. I gave it to him and he read it."

"So what happened."

"Well I was sitting with the other boy, Ben and we were waiting for people. I was waiting for you and he was waiting for his friend or sister or something. We started talking and he saw his sister so he decided to write his number on my hand so we could get in touch. I was looking for you while he was writing and then he just stopped and when I looked back he was gone. I thought he ran off to his sister, but the number was only half written. Then it started to rain. Just a drop and I was about to go home, but then another drop fell on me and I saw it fall in front of my eye and it looked too dark to be rain and when I touched my face to see what it was there was blood on my finger. So I looked up and saw Ben. His eyes.. I can't even begin to describe the horrors that were trapped in them." I paused and couldn't help but think of the sea green eyes staring back at me. I was surprised I hadn't had nightmares about them yet.

"I screamed, but my mouth was caught from behind and I was pulled deeper into the forest. My mind was in overdrive I was flailing and kicking and crying, but he held me like it was nothing. Then he bit me. I thought he just stabbed my neck at first, but I felt his hair at my cheek and could feel his skin against mine. He was sucking the blood out of me and then threw me to the ground when he was done. He mumbled something about the people who crashed the party and then started to walk away, only he took two steps and then disappeared into the night as if he never existed at all." I looked at Mallory while she took it all in. I wouldn't continue until she told me to.

"Okay.. So he wasn't.. human?"

"Well, I thought he was for a while, but at some point while writing it I realized that it was impossible for humans to move that fast even if they were cannibals. Then I thought about vampires and have stuck with the thought ever since. It's ridiculous, I know, but there was no other explanation."

"It is pretty ridiculous, but the bite makes sense now, and I'm sure the reason you're all beaten up will make sense when you continue.." I took that as a go on.

"So I wrote that and let Avery read and he thought it sounded silly, he said it was good writing and a well written scene, but I didn't think he really believed me. I told him to forget it and then he said some sweet things and pretty much said he believed me. I didn't know if I should believe him, but I didn't really want to stay cooped up to talk about it so I told him I wanted to go to a party and he took me to the fraternity he is in and we danced for a while before he took me to his room." I could hear Mallory smirking, but I ignored it and pressed on quickly.

"We talked and it was pretty much a bunch of sweet nothings and then he asked me to be his girlfriend and I agreed. I was really happy. I though- this will be good. I like him and he's nice and he's funny and he's good looking- what could go wrong? I think I liked it most because it wasn't an 'okay just because I owe you my life' yes it was a real 'I want to be with you' yes." I sighed and allowed myself to smile. "I really liked him. Even if I only knew him a few days, I knew that I liked him. Like Romeo and Juliet knew, you know?"

"You hate Romeo and Juliet." She stated too matter of factly. I just gave her a small smile.

"I know. Avery is dead though and me leaving is pretty much a death sentence, so I believe in it much more now than I did before." I laughed at the irony of it all.

"That's morbid.. and true. Why is leaving a death sentence." She asked as she popped the rest of her kit kat into her mouth.

"I'll get there." I said grimly.

"Then get there. You aren't putting me in danger, are you?" I looked at her with a sad smile.

"I really don't know what to expect yet. I'll skip a little and tell you that if I would have left you behind you probably wouldn't see tomorrow. I didn't think I'd see today and I have you to thank for that." She looked confused, but I guess she understood that I couldn't just be skipping around. It would leave too many questions unanswered.

"So I told him I would be his girlfriend and we left the party around one. He wanted to get me home before it got really late. I also think he felt it would be safer if I was with him rather than Alyssa who would have taken me home if it wasn't him."

"Yeah, I'm glad he took you. Much safer."

"Hmph.." I let out the breathy chuckle.

"What?"

"He died because he walked me home."

"Shoot.."

"That's not funny Mal. You know you don't want anything to happen to her even if you do hate her."

"Yeah yeah, story."

"Okay. So we were walking and we were talking about if you would like him I think and while we were talking this guy roughly brushed past us."

"You know, you talk like you write. You could have just said bumped into you like a normal person."

"Yeah, but that makes the story lose it's.. feeling. The bump was rough, okay? Anyways. We both turned around and I immediately recognized him. Or at least I thought it looked exactly the same. Same posture that even when moving seemed still. Same hoodie, height, jeans, it just all clicked in me and I immediately tried to walk off, but Avery wanted to make him apologize. I told him to stop and he looked at me and said that the guy needs to apologize, but when we looked back he was gone. Like not up the street a few steps. Gone. Just like before."

"So did Avery believe you then? Like 100 percent?" I wasn't sure why that mattered, but I answered all the same.

"I'm not sure actually. We kind of rushed home as fast as we could without looking... odd I guess. We got into the elevator and he asked me if it was the same guy and I said I didn't know but. Then he interrupted me by saying the guy just disappeared and I agreed. I was just happy we made it back, but when I opened my door the guy was just standing in my room with a creepy grin on his face and I tried to shut the door and turn the other cheek, but he had my arm and dragged me into the room. Avery was calling for me and I told him to get help, but the guy turned it into a game. Well, not really a game. Just a test of my counting abilities I suppose. He told me to count to fourty-two and I did and there were a few noises, but sure enough as soon as I said fourty-two he was at the door with in his grasp. He had a broken nose and a nasty cut on his head..." I paused. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go on anymore. It was so complicated and I knew she would have more questions about everything if it was word for word what happened.

"So the guy beat him up and dragged him back upstairs in under a minute?" I must have gone a long time without speaking because she seemed impatient to hear more. I understood. This was where it got good. Even I recognized that.

"Yeah. Umm.. well we were all up there and the guy was angry.. to say the least." I mumbled. "He said that my heart had already stopped when he left me. That I shouldn't have been alive. He said he smelled me when he bumped into me and couldn't understand how I was alive and he wanted me to answer him, but I didn't have an answer for him." As I spoke I tried to dissect it like I knew Mallory was. It was a lot easier to find things when you were listening and not experiencing.

"He was livid that I was still alive. He said he didn't make mistakes. I didn't know what to say, but Avery opened his mouth and told him to go fuck himself or something." I paused as the crack of his finger repeated in my head. "He broke his finger for talking back. Told me that if either of us spoke out of term it would be Avery's hand." I sighed sadly and gripped the wheel.

"By this time I was about a hundred and twelve percent sure he was a vampire, or at least some sort of supernatural being.." I mumbled. I couldn't even believe what I was saying, but when I looked at Mallory she looked fully into my words. I could see in her eyes that she believed me and that made me feel a bit better about continuing. She nodded for me to go on and my eyes went back to the empty road. I didn't know Idaho had such empty roads. I always went to the more populated places I suppose.

"He went back to me. I was so scared. I could see his eyes. They were so cold. They were the color of ice too. Like an extremely pale blue and they were glowing under the hood. His face was nothing less than perfect. He was so.. pretty. I wanted to touch him, but I didn't. You might think that's a moot detail, but just wait. Anyways. I was staring at him and was kind of looking at different points in his face wondering how they got so.. perfect. He told me to look at his eyes. He said that he wanted to show me something. He said I caught his attention then told me to look at him and I didn't. I should have. I should have just looked."I could feel the wetness touch my eyelashes.

"Cace.."

"Don't. If I don't get past it then I never will. He said 'see, you don't listen to me.' or something like that and I heard more bones crack and started crying when I saw that he was breaking Avery's hand. I begged him to stop. To not hurt him. He was smiling." I spit the word as if it were some sort of poison.

"He said that he was going to kill us both anyways and that he should just kill him now. Everything was in slow motion, Mal. His hand gripped around Avery's neck and I didn't know what to do. Avery looked so... accepting. He wasn't even bothered. I screamed one more please, but he broke his neck as I did. Right in front of my eyes Avery's eyes went from alive to dead in less than a second." I pulled off to the side of the road. I couldn't drive anymore. I was breaking down. My sobs shook the car.

"I killed him! It's my fault! All because I didn't want to listen. I killed him." I didn't even look at Mallory. I couldn't think about anything but how I could have saved him. How he deserved to live so much more than I did.

"Casey.." she was rubbing my back, but I hardly noticed. The only thing I could think of was the way his head suddenly hung on his shoulder without the support of his neck.

"He told me he did it because I begged him not to. He hates begging. I was crying and he told me that if I didn't pay attention to him then he would kill me. I snapped. I told him to do it. I begged him to do it!" I paused and stared at the speedometer. "The next thing I knew I was against the wall. He was touching down my neck and I was sure that he was going to kill me. I almost hoped for it and for a second I understood why Avery was so.. calm. Then I felt a sting and his nail was here." I pointed to where the scar along my collarbone started. "And he drug it all the way down. It hurt. It was like a paper cut along my chest. But I didn't care. I thought I deserved something slow. Something painful."

"You don't deserve to die Cace, no one does. It's not your fault he's dead."

"Don't lie to me! I know that I'm responsible. If I was quiet, or maybe if I would have just died the first time. He never would have gotten wrapped up in it." There was silence. I was right.

"Anyways. He told me to look at him and I immediately looked away from him and that's what happened to my arm. I finally looked at him and Mallory.. He's so gorgeous. It. I can't even begin to describe. It's disgusting." I sneered. "He just stared at me and I leaned away from him and he freaked out. He pushed me away from him and started ranting about how no one can do that. I eventually learned that_ that_ meant disobey him. He did it all mentally and I could feel the desire, but I knew I didn't want to and I refused it and he said that no one has ever done that before and it made him _mad_." I wiped my eyes and looked out at the sun that was about an two hours away from setting. It seemed like it was going by so fast now a days.

"We sat there silently after I told him that I didn't know how. He just stared out the window and then told me that he wanted to make me kill my friends, but he couldn't get in.. He told me that you were on your way upstairs and I thought that he was going to kill you. But he said he was leaving. He told me that I better be there when he gets back tonight and that if he finds a trace of knowledge in anyone's head of him that he will kill them slowly. He told me to get answers to why he couldn't get in and was gone. Then you were there." I mumbled and started up the car again. I was plenty stable to be driving again.

"I knew that I was leaving and I knew that if I was gone then you would be taken by him. I don't think he knows about Aly, but I didn't think he would know about you either and he did."

"Casey.. What if he finds you? What if he finds us? I'm nothing to him. I'll be dead like that!"

"My logic is you were dead anyways. He might not find us and a chance at living is better than sitting around waiting for death. I also needed to tell you what happened because if he does come back I don't want you to get snappy."

"I don't get snappy!" She snapped and I laughed slightly.

"Okay." Was all I said and she shot her head to her window.

"Let's go. I don't want to go back. I also don't want to stop. I'll sleep and you can drive then we will switch. I just can't believe this. It doesn't seem real. I feel like we're fleeing from a fake danger, yet I know that you wouldn't make that all up. You aren't that creative honestly."

"I know. That's what I was trying to tell Avery when he complimented my writing." I smiled and she seemed to relax a bit when we started driving once again.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Coming earlier than expected! I had a hit of inspiration! (:**_  
_**Enjoy~**_

"I can't believe you drove us all the way to Seattle." Mallory mumbled as we stood in the elevator to go up to our room. I didn't know she'd be this shocked. It was the biggest city we could get to that was far enough away to feel safe. It was nearing one in the morning and though we could have gone farther I felt that getting back on an awake during the day schedule would be safer.

"You know when the weekend is over you're going to have to go back. I don't see what the point of leaving was." She sighed. It was the twelfth time she told me this and I was starting to think she didn't trust me. Hell, she was making me not trust my own decision.

"I'm working on it Mal. I shouldn't have brought you with me. That's the only thing wrong with this whole thing."

"I'd be dead."

"At least it would be quiet!" I snapped at her and she flinched slightly before narrowing her big brown eyes.

"I'd rather be dead than have gone on this trip with you!" She threw her bag on her bed. "You know what, fuck you. All you care about is yourself. You don't think things through and you're a total bitch every time I point it out." She looked through her bag and grabbed some jeans and a flashy shirt.

"You don't think pointing it out is a bitch move to begin with?" I shot back. "All I've heard from you is complaints. Sure, it would have been easier to go alone and then all you'd have to be worried about is where I went. If you thought about it at all which, with how self centered you are, I doubt you would. This is more a problem of you don't want to be worrying about things. You would rather live in happy land where the world revolves around perfect you." She just glared at me and I took it as incentive to keep going. I was worked up now. "I brought you because I'm ninety-eight percent sure you'd just be used as bait then killed. At least I can keep an eye on you if you're with me. At this point school is not my number one priority and I don't remember it ever being yours so I don't know what's up with your attitude."

"I don't have a fucking attitude. And you don't have to worry about keeping an eye on me anymore." She said as she pulled the new shirt over her head and threw her old clothes back into her bag. "Because I'm leaving." With that she grabbed her full bag and left the room. I sat on the bed and rested my head in my hands. A part of me, the stubborn part, wanted to say fuck her and let her be here alone. The sensitive and reasonable side told me that I should at least keep an eye on her. These things cooled down easily and a few sorry's on my end usually patched things up.

I walked out of the hotel after changing into my other dress which was much less suitable than the skinny jeans and sweatshirt I had on, but those wouldn't get me into a club. I doubted this would either, but it was worth a shot. I suddenly regretted leaving my leather half jacket at home.

The streets were pretty empty, so it was easy to catch up to her. I didn't approach though. I wanted to keep my distance and just let her do her thing and sure enough she was at the entrance of a nightclub. The bouncer ID'd her then let her in with a smile. There was a line, but I tried out her tactic.

"I'm gonna need to see some ID." His voice was strong and had a Jersey accent. I grabbed my wallet and showed it to him. He looked over the crowd before letting out a sigh.

"You know there's a line." He stated firmly and pointed a thumb to the people waiting to get in.

"Yeah.." I mumbled and looked at my shoes. Definitely not club material.

"And you aren't really... dressed for this place. I mean, you're gorgeous, but rules are rules." He pointed to the line again and I sighed.

"Nah, it's fine. I'll just go.." Mallory would come back.. wouldn't she? Then again, she took her bag so even that was questionable now.

"Now Ed, are you really going to let this pretty little thing go home without the proper club experience? She's only visiting after all." A hand touched my shoulder firmly and pulled me closer to the body attached to it. The only thing I could describe his voice with was liquid gold. Who wouldn't melt at that sound?

"Sorry Byron, I didn't know she was with you." And just like that I was entering the very loud club at the side of a perfect stranger.

I was taken to the bar and once seated I braved a look at my new friend. His hair was short and a darker brown and his nose was perfectly shaped, but there was a small kink in the bridge, but it would probably only be noticeable from the side. This was confirmed when he looked down at me and the flaw disappeared.

"It isn't kind to stare, babe." Gross. I hated when people used that name.

"It's Casey." I stated almost coldly and looked to the drink that had been placed in front of me.

"That doesn't fit you."

"I've heard that before." I glared at my drink as I remembered exactly who I had heard it before.

"You know, for being so kindly escorted into this place you're quite.. rude. I didn't even get a thanks." I looked at him again, but with apologetic eyes.

"Sorry, my friend and I got in a fight and it just hasn't been my day.. or weekend really. That's not your fault. Thank you. I really do appreciate it. Let me buy your drink." I offered with a sweeter smile as I took a sip of mine.

"Oh, that won't be necessary, you see, I own this place. Your drinks are on the house. Please, enjoy." his lips were long and thin and the teeth behind them were perfectly straight. It made sense why he was so pretty now though. He was rich.

"Thanks. I won't be having more than one though.. I have to find my friend. Thanks again for letting me in... ummm.."

"Byron."

"Right, Byron." I looked into his darker green eyes and I felt that familiar feeling of wanting to touch him, only this time I wanted to kiss him as well. My eyes widened only slightly. "Okay, well I better go." I said and grabbed my purse quickly and started to walk off.

"Hey!" His hand was around my arm, pulling me back to him. I didn't have the time or mental capacity to deal with this.

"Please I have to go. I really can't be here." I faced him, but my eyes were on my shoes. "I just have to get my friend." I was saying the same thing over and over again. I could feel his eyes look over me, but I didn't dare look up to see with what expression.

"Kiss me first." Now I did shoot my eyes up to him.

"Ummm... I don't really know you th-"

"Casey!" My eyes shot to Mallory who had a huge grin on her face. I knew it would be like this. She never could stay mad for long. Only, this time she was a little too giddy. When she hugged me I knew why.

"Have you been.. drinking?!" I asked her with a shocked expression. She never drank. Never had and she was so against it that I didn't until we were of age.

"Awww yeah muffin!" She laughed before noticing the grip on my arm that surprisingly hadn't let me go.

"Oh..." She was looking at him like he was some sort of angel and I saw her hand start to reach out to him. This was just confirming everything I already thought I knew. I grabbed her hand and brought it back to her side.

"Well, thanks for the drink Byron.."I yanked my arm away before yanking my friend away as well. She still seemed a little awe-struck, but as soon as it subsided she looked at me with a bit of horror.

"Cace.. was that a-"

"Yes, I am." It was the same smooth voice that I had to learn to ignore now, but the iron grip on my arm told me that I wasn't going anywhere. "And your friend here was very ungrateful for what I have done for her."

I just sat silently and stared at my black ballet flats some more. I just hoped Mallory was doing the same.

We were led to a private room in the back hand in hand, each of our arms being in his grasp and both of us being very quiet. He pushed us down onto a couch before pulling up a chair.

"I am going to be asking you a few questions." Wow, this was familiar.

"Mal keep your eyes down." I mumbled before looking up to the man who's eyes had a slight glow now. I wonder if that trait played on emotion.

"You don't think you should do the same?" He asked with pure curiosity. "What exactly do you know?"

"Well, I know that you're a.. vampire." It was a weird word especially when spoken. His eyebrow only twitched upwards as he leaned back indicating that I should go on. "And.. you can't get into my head..?" This was more of a question. I didn't know what to call it.

"Right.. I have questions about that.." He looked to Mallory and smirked. "But it seems that you don't have answers. This already happened to you?" She must have been replaying our conversation in her mind or something because he seemed to be finding out more and more. "Geeze, it's soo much easier to just get answers from the memory." He sighed and looked back at me.

"I wish I could get the first person account though. I would love to see this other guy." He smiled and I clenched my teeth as his image came into my head. I hated him so much.

"Listen, I don't want to keep you long. I just wanted to know why I couldn't get into your head. Or your pants." He smirked and touched my knee. I jerked away and grimaced.

"Don't touch me." I stated it firmly and he looked amused.

"I like you. Fiery, yet very conservative." He put his hands up in surrender. "But I know my limits."

"Thank you." I mumbled.

"I just have a favor to ask of you. If this other vampire comes around, please, call me. I am curious about you and your situation. I'm a friend, promise." He flashed a toothy grin before disappearing and on the chair was a card with a number and a name on it.

"He was sooo hot." Mallory was practically drooling as I helped her off the couch. How many drinks could one down in ten minutes? I'm guessing Mallory came close to the max with how... unstable she already was.

"Yes, he was good looking. Let's go back to the hotel, okay?" Agreeable behavior would be the most productive behavior.

"Okay... I think that you should have told me how fun drinks were before." She giggled and I sighed. This was going to be a long walk back.

We were finally back to the loud part of the building, but with more people came a whole new challenge. I looked around for the exit and found my eyes on Byron again who glanced away from a girl to give me a smile that I returned. Didn't want to be on his bad side. Mallory raised her hand and gave a big wave that took her balance away, bringing us both down.

"Oh shit." Mallory laughed and I let out a little giggle as I gathered my bearings. "We're going to get stomped on, come on." I was laughing still as I spoke, but Mallory was having a laughing fit on the ground and I realized that it was probably to cover up embarrassment.

"Assistance?" A hand came into my face and I looked up to see Byron standing over us with a smile. I stood on my own, refusing his hand, but he had one out for both of us and Mallory quickly grabbed his left hand as an idiotic grin covered her face.

"Thank you." We both said, but in completely different tones. He leaned down and kissed Mallory's hand with a smirk.

"My pleasure." I was pretty sure she was about to faint as he spoke to her.

"I don't mean to be a cockblock, but we have a lot of ground to gain in the morning." I grabbed mallory's untouched hand and started to walk away again, but she was swept up from me and I looked up to find her giggling in Byron's arms.

"Please, allow me to escort you back." He smiled down at me and I immediately replied.

"Fine, let's go." I said leading the way out. I didn't care if half the club came with, I was ready to go.

Mallory and him talked from the start, or he would say something and read her mind to know what she was thinking. Her words had become too slurred to understand and I started to worry about how much she had actually drank. I just listened quietly, all the time deciding that I actually liked this guy. He was nice and he smiled and laughed. He was real. He had substance and he was incredibly gentlemanly.

About halfway home Mallory fell asleep and I felt bad that he had to carry her.

"Thank you.. I really appreciate your help tonight."

"It was really my pleasure. Your friend here is very interesting. She has a lot to say that she never does." He smirked at me and I wondered what he meant by that. "She's really sexual." I didn't need to know that.

"That's... nice.." I mumbled.

"Yeah, it is." I glared at him and he gave me a look of innocence. "What? I bet she doesn't show much interest in love, yet her mind is full of desire." I thought about it for a moment. She did have times of seeming overly interested in sex for someone who didn't personally care for it. "I bet she'll be a dynamo in bed."

I stopped in my tracks and gave him a twisted expression. "Did you just say dynamo? That is like the most unsexy word I've ever heard.." I shook my head. Where was this guy from?

"It used to be the bomb."

"Okay, just stop. No more.. slang. Even if it's from this generation. What time are you from anyways?" I asked and pressed on.

"Born in 1698 turned in 1722." He stated proudly. Well, at least it wasn't 945 or something ridiculous like that, but 391 was still pretty old.

"Cool.." I didn't have a proper response for the answer.

"How old are you?" He asked, looking down at me with a soft smile. Could he tell that I was nervous?

"Twenty-one."

"Hmm.. the year you were born I turned 21 people." He smiled, but the statement worried me.

"Went on a bit of a binge. Don't worry though, they're all dead now." The statement didn't calm me down. At all.

"How did they die?" Silence would be more awkward than more questions.

"I killed them. Can't have that many newbies running around at once. I was going to keep this one, she was so... fiery. You remind me of her. She had to go though. She was a hungry one." A smirk flashed across his face and I instantly knew he wasn't just talking about human blood.

"She sounds great."

"She was. But she was killing too many people and I don't think I ever would have been able to contain her." He sighed and I wondered if he loved her. Probably not. He seemed like a very impulsive guy. Nothing could keep his attention for long.

"Do you have a.. maker?" He laughed and it was almost insulting.

"Of course I do! She died back in the 1800's though." He seemed almost happy about it, but that might still be from my question.

The small talk got smaller and by the time we were back at the hotel there had been a whole three minutes of silence which I loved, but he seemed to be a little disappointed with.

"I'll just take her to the room." He said before I could offer to take her myself. I was too tired to say no, in fact, I was a grateful I wouldn't have to drag her up.

"Okay. Thanks. You've been really helpful. Sorry if I've been.. distant. Or rude. I'm really worried." I mumbled as we rode up in the elevator.

"I understand. Even if you were the most open girl in the world you would still seem distant to me, so I hardly notice it on a human level. If you want, I can try and take care of your problem. I've taken quite a liking to your friend here."

"She has a boyfriend." I said with a bit of annoyance. He was so nice then he got all.. well I didn't have a better word than horny to describe it.

"Ha.. I know. She has quite vivid thoughts about him. And me. If you could only see her dream right now." I had a feeling that whatever it was he was putting it there.

"I don't want to.." I said shaking my head.

"She likes me and I like her and she likes you and I like you, so I should help both of you. I wouldn't want you to die so soon. Not when I don't know why I can't read you. Or anyone it seems... It's frustrating, but more intriguing. I've never met someone who's mind I can't get into." He looked at me again and just like every other time all I wanted to do was touch him.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Usually there's more anger in it though." I teased as I slid the card into the door and opened it.

"I bet. Like I said it's-"

"Frustrating. Wow... That really is frustratin' Cace.." I didn't have to walk all the way into the room to know that I was hearing Avery's voice. I took a step forward to look into the room and saw him lounging on my bed with his perfectly trimmed beard and glowing dark blue eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Sorry for the wait! I didn't know what to do next. I'm bad at leading up to exciting things unfortunately.**_  
_**I was out for a week as well with family, but I'm back now and excited to get some feedback! Enjoy!**_

I was torn. I wanted to run into him and hug him tightly, but at the same time I was scared. Him being here could only mean one thing and the way his eyes glowed only confirmed this. But how? Granted I was unsure of how vampires were made, but every way I could think of didn't make sense.

I very low growl hummed through my ears from behind me and I had almost forgotten that Byron was right there. I refused to tear my eyes from Avery though.

"How-"

"Who is this?" Byron asked as he flicked on the light so the color returned to the small hotel room. I could see him clearly now. He was stretched across the dark comforter with his arms behind his head and a small smile on his lips. I hoped it was because he was happy to see me and not because I was his next meal.

"Aww, Cace, you didn't tell no one about me?" His teasing tone made me smile and before I could see him move he was in front of me and his hand was gently caressing my cheek. "That's okay. I understand if you wanted to keep me all to yourself." He smirked and in that second I realized that he hadn't changed. I had been afraid for nothing. My arms wrapped tightly around him as I laughed to keep myself from crying.

"So you'll touch this one.." I looked back to Byron and glared.

"This is Avery. My _boyfriend_." I told him with a slight glare.

"The one that you told her died?" He looked down to Mallory and turned his head slightly to point. "She had a different picture painted in her head of him."

"I don't care." I stated before walking past Avery into the room and jumping onto my bed. "Avery, that's Byron, by the way. I just met him..." I paused and looked at the little group of three. "He's very kind." I decided not to insult the man, but the enthusiasm in my tone was zero.

"I can see that." He said and a few little blurred movements went before my eyes and Avery was sitting next to me while Mallory was sleeping on her bed. I couldn't keep up with this. The boys seemed to be having a conversation, but I wasn't sure. Maybe Byron just liked to change his expression a lot.

"Uhh..." Both heads snapped to me and I bit the inside of my lip nervously. "What are you guys doing.. Wait!" I put my finger up before they could talk. "No, I have other questions first... How are you... here?" I looked at Avery. I was glad to have him back, but it really complicated things.

"I ran. Cars are shit compared to the speed I get." He shimmied his shoulders up as if showing off a bit of pride. "I just smelled your room and was able to follow the scent. You really do smell really fucking amazing. It's not like food- it's like you just smell..._ beautiful._" I covered my face with a hand to hide my blush. Why! That was such a moot point.

I ran my hair through my bright blonde hair before looking back to Avery that seemed to just be sitting there patiently. He was so still I was almost afraid he turned into a statue.

"I meant how are you.. alive. I saw you **_die._**" I mumbled. I felt that this conversation was too intimate to be held in front of an audience.

"Oh.." His face became grim and his eyes left mine. "Before Gabriel brought me back upstairs to you he fuckin' spit his blood into my mouth." I heard Byron chuckle, but the thing about this whole ordeal that got most of my attention was the fact that this man now had a name.

"Gabriel? That was his name?" I asked. He looked at me with a 'really, that's all you got out of that' expression.

**"Is** his name." He corrected. "Yeah. I retaliated and that was why I was so beat when I got up."

"Maybe you should tell her why you retaliated." Byron seemed to think this whole thing was funny.

"If someone spit in my mouth I'd be pissed too." I defended Avery's story.

"What if they got it in by kissing you?" Byron asked with a smirk. I bit my lip to keep from smiling, but the look that crossed Avery's face caused a giggle to escape.

"**It's not funny!**" He yelled directly at me and fear drained the blood from my face. I looked down to my hands and apologized quietly. I wasn't sure if it was the knowledge that he had the power to kill me now that scared me or that he really just snapped at me like that.

"There's no need to be so touchy. It was a joke." Byron's face had gotten serious and was standing right next to where I was sitting.

"Sorry." He said with an unapologetic tone. "I haven't exactly had the best day of my life. I don't want to hear bullshit jokes going around." They started talking to each other quickly and quietly again. I wasn't able to pick anything up, but I wasn't trying either. All I could think about was that I did this to him. There was no point in dwelling on it- it was done, but I still felt bad. And he was obviously angered by the whole ordeal.

"How did you know what happened?" The question slipped from my mouth before I had time to filter, but that was probably for the better. I looked up at Byron who had a confused look on his face.

"How did you know how he got the blood?" I asked with eyebrows furrowed.

"Usually we can read the minds of the newborns for about five years. That's naturally. If they have someone to teach them to block it early it could be done in weeks." He explained and I nodded.

"Would you do that for Avery?" I asked and he immediately shook his head.

"No. I think that he should probably take the natural route."

"Why?" Avery and I asked in unison.

"Well, for one you seem to be a snapper. Did you have problems with your anger before today?"

"I would hardly call that a problem. He's had a bad day. Give him a break. You shouldn't have talked about what happened like that." I crossed my arms and leaned back against the frame of the bed.

"Have you always been stupid?" My eyes shot to Byron with a glare. What was that for?

"Have you always been a douchebag? What the hell."

"He just yelled at you. That's never okay. **Ever.**" I heard Avery scoff.

"It didn't hurt her. I am sorry. Like I said, it's been a fucked up day and everything is like jumbled and I'm confused. I was just told to get her and bring her back, but you're here. I can assume you won't let me just take her back." He paused and doom set in. Of course he was just here to get me back to the- Gabriel.

"Then there's the fact that I really just want to run off with you." He was talking to me now. "I'm convinced that you are the best thing in the world. You have no idea what it feels like just to be in the same room as you." How was I supposed to argue with that, let alone respond properly?

"Yeah, yeah she smells good. We all know that. She's different, we all know that. She's... eh, I suppose you're attractive." He shrugged and I rolled my eyes. He wasn't worth getting butthurt over. "But just because she's frustrating does** not** mean you get to have a temper with her."

"Oh my God, that could hardly be considered to be a temper.." I said. I was ready for the conversation to change.

"Nice job. You really have her wrapped around your finger." Wait, what? "Do you not see what just happened. It was very fast. I can spell it out if you want." Byron asked and I was sure all my face held was confusion. Avery leaned back and was laying on my lap now.

"God what have I done to deserve this?" He asked the roof. I smiled.

"Don't be bent out of shape. He's just jelly." I assured him with a smirk.

"Not in the slightest." Byron mumbled grimly.

"Listen. Avery is the nicest, most caring guy I have ever met. He would have snapped at anyone. I'd rather him yell once in frustration or anger than kill twenty people because they were bored." I shot at him and his head just shook. "Why do you care so much? I'm just a human. You obviously don't really care about us. Let's be honest."

"For one there might be something serious going on with you that affects us and that needs to be checked out, so I do care for your well being." He ruffled my hair mockingly. "And I don't take manipulation lightly."

"Says the guy that was trying to get me to kiss him with his mind powers! How rich." I rolled my eyes and got up from the bed. I was so tired. I didn't want to be with these two anymore. And it seemed like I started a whole new argument between the two. I got onto Mallory's bed and laid down hoping that the subject would be dropped and they would be gone soon. The sun had to be coming up sometime.

"Casey. I will be taking my leave." I didn't roll over to say goodbye to Bryon. "I will be back when sun sets and I expect that you will be here still. I would really like to answer the questions you have. Alone. I think that they will be answered much quicker without distraction and then we can get things moving again. I expected tonight to be much more productive." He seemed unhappy. I didn't seem to care. I didn't hear him leave, but when the air felt lighter I knew that he was gone.

"Cace.." I did look over to Avery with tired eyes. "I just wanted to say again that I am sorry. Two minutes for you holds about an hour's worth of conversation for us. I don't like him, but I think it will be really beneficial for everyone if you talk to him." In less than a second he was kneeling by where I was lying and stroked my hair.

"Where are you going?" I whispered the question. It sucked that I didn't get to spend any time with him.

"I don't have to go anywhere for another hour or two, but I really would like to eat. I'm staying at that guy's place. I guess he has a few other house guests that come and go so it's not a problem." I nodded slowly.

"So you are going to kill people?" I asked quietly.

"Cace.. I have to. I spent all day learning the rules and I have to abide by them. I really would only like to die once in my lifetime.." He mumbled. I shrugged.

"Yeah.. I guess. I just don't like the idea of innocent people with futures dying." He chuckled slightly.

"I haven't eaten anyone yet who has been innocent. Seattle has a lot of muggers which shocked me." I grinned and turned over to face him. "You're so beautiful." He was gazing into my eyes and stroking my hair like a child.

"You're not too shabby yourself." I giggled. It was ridiculous. He was fucking perfect now. As if he hadn't been attractive enough before. It felt like we just stared at each other forever. I definitely would not have minded if it had lasted that long. His eyes were hypnotizing and the best part about everything was I didn't feel a forced pull to kiss him. I only felt the attraction that I had before.

That was the reason I placed my lips on his.


	8. Chapter 8

His body tensed up and I wondered if I made a mistake. I pulled back and looked down to the bed, a very slight feeling of rejection coursing through my body. I heard a sigh just before I was rushing through the air and before I could pick up on even that, I was on my bed rather than Mallory's.

"Hey!" My sudden shriek was cut off by his soft lips that pressed against mine. Why was he allowed to do that and I wasn't? I pulled away from him, though it was harder than one would think.

"Casey.." He looked down at me with a serious look in his glowing eyes.

"Why are_ you_ the only one that gets to make the first move? That didn't feel good." I asked before sighing.

"You caught me by surprise... I don't have to explain myself. I have a very limited time Cace, do you want to do this or not?" He was so nonchalant.

"I don't know exactly what you are expecting to **do,** Avery, but no I don't really want to anymore. There was a moment and you ruined it."

"**I** ruined it?! You're kiddin' me, right? I just moved us so we didn't wake up your friend and you threw a fit."I glared at his chest, not wanting to look at his face. "God Cace, you sure are bitchy lately. I can't even kiss you without you complaining about something. I'm not even dead for a day and you come up here with some other guy?"

"But I don-"

"**Shut up!**" I cringed at his voice. "You came here and found him and brought him back to your hotel. You left me behind. You left everyone behind. You're a coward." He spat the word at me. He didn't know anything and now I didn't want to tell him. He was right though. I was a coward for leaving. I should have stayed. Keeping everyone safe, including myself probably. It was bitchy of me to not just accept that he made a move after rejecting mine.

"I'm sorry.." Why was I apologizing again? I didn't know, but his face soften and he sighed.

"Just watch yourself. I'm on your side Cace, but I've found myself wanting to take you back to Gabriel on more than one occasion tonight."

"Okay." I mumbled a bit angrily. I was done with him for the night. Maybe forever. It didn't matter how much of a bitch I seemed or how cowardly my actions were, he was supposed to be on my side and he just brought me down.

"Okay. I'm going to leave for the day. Be good." He kissed my forehead and I turned away. I could hear a growl deep in his chest. "**Don't** pull away from me like that." He mumbled before standing from the bed.

"I love you." He mumbled just loudly enough for me to hear before he disappeared. I stared at the ceiling, pretending I didn't hear what he just said. Sleep. I needed sleep and wondering if those words were really said or not was the last thing I wanted to lose sleep over. Especially since I convinced myself they were never spoken.

-

"Come on Cace. Don't you want to make it farther than fucking canada tomorrow?" Someone sounded excited. Wasn't she supposed to feel horrible?

"Nooo.." I groaned and rolled away from her. She sighed.

"It's two. Do you _really_ want to be here all day?" She asked and pulled my blankets from my body.

"Yes.." I opened my eyes to the bright room.

"What do you mean yes?!" She shrieked and stared at me as if I had grown a second head. Then I remembered. She wasn't there to hear everything that had happened.

"Oh Mallory why do you miss all the important stuff?" I groaned jokingly.

"I remember Byron. And walking home.. well kind of. Carried home. God he's so perfect." She swooned at the thought of him.

"Okay. We got home and..."

I told the story without a pause and Mallory just got more pissed as she listened to everything she missed. I left out the little fight about both the yelling and the kissing. Lord knew she would try and turn that into something it wasn't.

"So we have to stay and wait for Byron?" The thought obviously excited her. She started getting ready immediately.

"Well..." I dragged out the word. "He said he wanted to talk to me alone, but I think that might have just meant no Avery. I don't know. He really gets distracted in your mind. I think he likes you." I raised a brow suggestively and she blushed. "But I think it will be a business night. I mean really, I do not want to be here anymore. I want to go back and forget this all happened." I sighed and felt a weight at the end of my bed.

"Yeah, I want to go back too. I don't want to die, but I want to go back. I want to forget it all happened. I want to go to class tomorrow having no recollection of this weekend." She mumbled her words. We weren't used to being away from home, especially not together.

"At least they can make you forget. I'm messed up in the head." We both laughed.

"I would forget. I might ask them to make me forget before we go." I was jealous, but at least she was honest.

"Yeah, I would too. Do you want to go shopping today?" I changed the subject. It was time for something normal to happen and it brightened up her face when I mentioned it.

"Of course I do!" She chimed and we showered and left.

-

We didn't get home until about eight and were fortunate enough to have forgotten about what tonight would bring until we walked into a room full of vampires. When I say full I mean every vampire I know is in that room and then two more.

"Umm.." Every pair of eyes shot to Mallory and my first instinct was to save her from the room that reeked of danger.

"Welcome back. But I told you to be here when I got here and you are about an hour and a half late." Byron told us quietly before ushering us into the room. He cleared a bed and lat us down on it. The only thing I could keep my eye on was Gabriel who was in the back of the five of them brooding. He obviously wasn't getting his way tonight. Was that what the other two people were there for? To keep him from ripping my head off? I could tell just by the way he looked at me that he wanted me dead.

"Yeah... I thought it would be okay to be a little late. We have all night and you tend to get things done quickly anyways." I said gently, but Mallory giggled which made Avery tense and I realize how my words could have been taken.

"Not all things." He winked at me and I rolled my eyes. It was a chain reaction. Avery silently got angry and Gabriel seemed to find it all amusing. Anything was better than angry when it came to him. I still had a human here and he always seemed to take them away from me.

"Okay. Let's just get on with it. I want to be over it and back to school before the week is over." I stated, ready for things to get more serious. Gabriel laughed and Byron shook his head.

"I'm very sorry to say that you can't go back to school. Honestly, we'll have to kill you before the end of the week. Whether you see another moon after that or not will be up to you. We are taking Mallory back tonight though. Erasing everything, putting a different story in it's place and she will live happily." He was reassuring of my best friend's well being for the future. At least she would get that. Out of everyone here and there she deserved it the most.

"Okay.." I stared at the floor trying to not cry.

They gave us a minute alone together, though I knew they would hear every word. We said our goodbyes, trying not to be sappy or sad since neither of us would remember the other by Friday.

"Bye." I whispered for the last time and I just caught her own whisper of the same word before the door closed and I was left with the three men that have ruined my life in a matter of days.

"You aren't going to be distracted by them being here are you?" Byron asked as they finished setting up a cute little interrogation setting. It felt silly, but Byron loved what he had done with the limited resources the room had.

"No." I stated firmly. It would be easy to put Avery and Gabriel out of my mind for a bit. I did it all day, what was an hour or so?

"Okay." He reached his hand out and touched my arm, sitting there silently for a moment before pulling back and sighing.

"You try." He told Gabriel who came up and set his hand on the top of my skull.

"Nothing." He mumbled. Why were they working together? Where the hell did Gabriel come from anyways? Was he here last night too? Did he stay with them?

"You have to be actively thinking so we can see if there's any way for us to get in." Gabriel sounded annoyed.

"I'm always actively thinking. Right now I'm thinking about how you got here and if you stayed with Byron and why you're all working together. I don't feel safe around you. I don't know if you normally read feelings, but that's what I'm trying to put out so that maybe they won't let you touch me again.." His fingers tightened just slightly around my head before letting go.

"Watch your tongue." He seethed before sitting on the only untouched bed.

"I just don't even know where to start." Byron sighed and laid his head on the table. Avery came to stand by me, no doubt because of the little threat Gabriel had laid out.

"Let's try killing her. She didn't die the first time. That's what is driving me insane." Gabriel mumbled. I glared at him and he rolled his eyes as if I were some sort of child that he couldn't get off his back.

"I'm sure there is a medical reason for that." Byron quickly executed the idea.

"They might tie in together. I wasn't really paying attention while I was eating her, but I didn't hear any thoughts even when she was 'dead.'" He said, getting back on point.

"What if we increased her heart rate." Now they were talking about me as if I wasn't in the room. Avery chuckled.

"Nah, her heart was beating quickly last night and it was still dead silent up there." He told them. Both men looked at him before smirking at the exact same time.

"Don't pretend you did anything more than fight with her."

"Don't pretend you actually got some last night." They said their words at the exact same time. They must have dug into his head. I was just silent as they began discussing what could be wrong, all options coming to a dead end.

"I just don't know what to do about this. She could be batshit crazy and we would never know. I want to know." Byron mumbled, defeated already. His fingers massaged his temples, trying to relieve a headache he probably didn't really have.

"Why can't you all just forget it. Why does it matter? Does it hurt you that you can't get into my head? You're being very selfish in your reasoning for trying to find this out. You just want into my head so that you can stop worrying about it." I finally spoke out. What had it been, Five, ten minutes since I last spoke?

"That's not true." Gabriel shot at me. His reason was probably the most selfish of all.

"Really? Then why do you care? Why can't you just leave me behind and live the rest of your eternity without knowing? Is there some history or something like that to make you so interested?"

"Well.. no. That's why I'm so interested. I've never seen it before. Never heard of it happening, nothing. What if you're a cure or something?" Byron sounded hopeful. I suppose being a total playboy in Seattle might get a little old.

"Well it couldn't be from my blood. He already took about four pints of that and he seems to be just as much of a vampire as ever.." I nodded towards Gabriel who gave a sharp toothed grin that looked more like 'I'm going to kill you' than something friendly.

"Why are we even talking like that's a possibility? She's just retarded and has some sort of mental block. I don't want to spend much more time on this.." Avery, of all people, was the one to blurt out this opinion.

"You know what?" Gabriel came up to the table and stroked the wooden top with a long fingernail. "I think you might be right." His finger slid up my shoulder, sending a shiver down my spine. Avery tensed across the table from me. "And if we don't know what she's thinking then we can't trust her." Across the back of my neck. "And anyone I don't trust has an _obligation_ to die." The words were so calm that I didn't realize the meaning they held until the sharp blades were driven into my neck again. He drank even faster before, trying to kill me before they could get to him, but they were fast and I was on the floor with my own blood pouring from my neck.

I brought a hand up to the warm thick liquid and I can tell that he punctured something. The skin was torn from them pulling him away from me and I was bleeding out fast. I could hear the breaking of objects around me, but my vision was going blurry and I couldn't keep track of the quick paced movements. A tongue grazed across my neck and I screamed while the tears poured from my eyes.

Another hand covered my mouth and the mess at my neck was being eaten away while my screams died down as did the heart that was beating in my chest. My eyes were heavy, but I could still feel the wetness at my neck and the wet muscle running over the mess.

"She's not dead is she?" Avery's hand was the one covering my mouth.

"She's breathing. I don't know. She's so weird." Byron's voice was right at my ear. He sounded so... fascinated. "I healed the wounds, but I just can't do this no heartbeat thing. I'm scared she's dead, but at the same time I'm a little less worried because she's breathing and Gabriel warned us about this."

"Well do we just leave her here?" I groaned at this point, not wanting to be moved. "I think we should take her to the hospital. She was out for fi.." Everything went dark and silent as the two conversed about what to do with my dead weight that came with being a human.


	9. Chapter 9

**_I have the next chapter is written as well so I'll get that out tonight!_**  
**_I would like to hear what you think of this Rhys fellow before then, so Review please~ 3_**

"Do you think it's going to take five days again? I can't wait that long. It felt like forever in human years. Why does time seem to go so slow?"

"It seems slow now, but trust me, you'll think of this day in five years and it will seem like yesterday. Everything goes by so fast. People go so fast. Don't get attached to her."

"I love her. I can't help it. I want her to be with me forever. I mean I liked her before, but I saw her again.. I _smelled_ her.. I can't even think about not being with her for a moment."

"Well that's cute. Says the man that yells at her and says rude things." I sucked in a breath at that comment and both of the boys stopped talking and I could feel their presence around me. A hand brushed my hair behind my ear and caressed my cheek. I twitched away and scowled before opening my eyes slowly.

"Don't touch me." I mumbled, not caring which one of them did it. Avery, of course, was the one leaning near me while Byron stood on the other side, not nearly as close. I didn't really want to look at him. I looked around the dark room and recognized the two beds. They never even took me out of the hotel.. The windows were covered with the curtains and every blanket and sheet from the bed I hadn't been sleeping on. Not a shed of light came through the window despite the clock saying it was about ten in the morning.

"What happened?" My head pounded madly and I wondered if I had drank too much last night. I wouldn't doubt it, but I don't remember going out. I wouldn't even want to. Not without Mallory and they took her from me.

"Again?" Avery groaned tiredly. Did he even sleep? Did he need to sleep? Why was he still here, either of them?

"What do you mean again?" Byron asked. I still wouldn't look at him. He was giving off a strange vibe that I couldn't really put my finger on. It definitely made me uncomfortable though.

"Last time he almost killed her she couldn't remember anything about it." Avery sounded annoyed at the fact that he had to explain.

"Stop being so rude." I covered my eyes with my hand as I groaned the words. So I got eaten again. Even after putting it together I didn't remember a thing. "Where did he go?" I asked lazily. I doubted they would know and if they did they wouldn't give me the information.

"Doesn't matter. He won't be coming near you any time soon." Avery growled deeply. I didn't like the new him. He was a lot less gentle and a lot more possessive in the past couple days.. few days? Weeks? I still didn't know.

"How long have I been out?" I didn't want to get into anything. My head was pounding.

"It's been about seventy hours since your heartbeat came back. It was gone for an hour. You really worried us." Byron told me in a soft tone.

"My heart stopped.. again?" I asked tiredly. Information. I wanted so much, yet my brain hardly handled what I was getting. I lifted my head from the pillow and immediately regretted it. "Fuck." I groaned too loudly. My head pounded furiously and I leaned forward more to put my head in my hands.

"What?" Both men asked and were at either side of me with a hand on each shoulder.

"My fucking head hurts." I wanted to cry. I was going to cry. My whole life was gone and I kept getting attacked by a certain vampire and with him went my memories.

"Hey.. it's o-"

"It's not okay!" I Screamed through my sobs. "I want to go home! I want my life back and you all out of it!" I yelled at them. I wanted to be alone. I buried my head between my knees and let out every pent up emotion through the tears in my eyes. Both men were wise enough to leave my side, though they couldn't do much about leaving me completely alone. The room was covered thoroughly for a reason.

I don't know how long I cried, but it had suddenly hit me that I could leave and my hysterics calmed down slowly until nothing was left but a few hics and red puffy eyes. I wiped my face clean of tears before standing and heading for the door.

"Hey!" Avery shouted after me. He was in front of the door before I could even blink. "What are you doing?" I almost started to cry again. I was so... confined.

"_Please._" I didn't have a destination or a motive to give him. I just needed out. A false sense of freedom to have for just a few hours.

"Let her go. It's not like we can lose her." Byron told Avery nonchalantly. Avery knew that. He tracked me from Wyoming to Washington in a matter of hours. What was he worried about? He just glared at me which brought me down even more. I was such a bother to everyone. Why didn't they just kill me already?

"She likes to get into trouble. I don't think she should be out and about alone." My face sunk even further as I stared at the ground. I couldn't fight right now. It felt like I couldn't do much of anything besides cry and that just made me look even less capable of being out of their hands and into the street.

"Let her go Avery. She can't go anywhere. She won't get hurt and if she isn't back by nightfall we will be on her tail In seconds." Byron sounded bored.. or maybe angry, at Avery's antics as of late. I agreed that he was getting a bit possessive, but not so much that I was angry. I was sure that if my perspective changed like that and I knew all the damage I could do in the snap of a finger I would protect a valuable as well from all the dangers out there.

Avery opened the door for me with a grim look in his eye. "Please, don't do anything stupid. Remember what I said the other night. I don't want you to get hurt Casey." Awesome. The next thing I wanted to remember was his confession. That was literally the least of my worries and he brought it back to the front of my mind. He really wouldn't let me be free. Even when he wouldn't be present he wanted to make sure the thought of him was.

-

I walked among the crowd for a few hours, I liked knowing that I was surrounded by humans. It made me feel extremely comfortable. Talking to waiters and busmates really was helping me to feel normal again and not like an experiment. A sad, fragile, otherwise useless experiment.  
Around three I was invited to a party by a waiter who seemed about as enthusiastic about his life as I did. I agreed. Games, booze, and people. Real, soft, warm, alive people. I waited around for him to get off from work, nervous about what time the boys could leave the room. I would have to be out of the house before then. Way before then. Back at the hotel if I could make it. I wasn't interested in them investigating my day's events.

"I'm Rhys, by the way." He stated shyly as we walked along the four o clock crowd.

"Yeah, your name tag gave that away." I smiled at him. His cheeks turned pink. "I'm Casey."

"That's-" Oh no, not another opinion. "Adorable. Like you." Oh Jesus. My face burned with embarrassment. Or was it flattery? I didn't know.

"Thanks. I think it's a pretty nice name. I mean considering my parents were going to name me Henrietta." I giggled and he shook his head with a smile.

"My sister's name is Henrietta.." My face dropped instantly. Fuck.

"Oh shit.. I'm sorry I didn't know.."

"I'm just messing with you." He was laughing at me and I gave him a playful glare before joining his chuckles.

"I was seriously sorry though." I pouted through a smile that I couldn't hold back.

"Aww.. You're so cute." He was teasing, but I still felt a small blush creep up on my cheek.

"Yeah, yeah." I waved my hand up and down, shoving the compliment away.

"I mean you caught my eye. A lot of girls try to do that and you hardly even noticed my advances. You still don't." I bit my lower lip gently. He meant his compliment and I blew them off like nothing.

"I'm sorry." I stopped and pulled him aside from the crowd around us. "I think you should know that I have a boyfriend." I told him, not wanting to deal with a day of flirting. This was supposed to be relaxing, not more stress inducing.

"Oh. I didn't know.. I would love for you to still come to game night I'll stop flirting." He was charming and happy even though I was taken. He really was just wanting me to have a good time. No pressure, no obligation. The people around here were really kind.

"Of course I'll go. I just didn't want to lead you on or anything. You're super nice and cute and it's probably more of a reminder for me than it is a notification for you." I smiled and he laughed.

"Still, I'll try and lay off the charms." He chuckled as we started walking again. There was a sprinkle of rain falling on us, but we hardly noticed.


	10. Chapter 10

"So what bring you here anyways. Aren't finals coming up?" He asked.

"Yeah, I don't know what's going on. I don't think I'm going back." I mumbled. I never thought I'd want to go back, but ever since I learned I'd be dying before graduation school sounded like heaven.

"Why not? You're not running away are you?" He asked only half concerned. I had a feeling he really didn't mind my absence from school.

"Umm.. Things got complicated. I ran, yeah, but some of the people from the school caught up with me and now they're keeping me here for a social experiment."

"That's convenient that they just happened to see you here." Was he implying that I was lying?

"Well I didn't want to be part of the experiment and then I got stranded in Idaho and my friend said she would get me, but I had to continue with the experiment and I agreed." I shrugged the conversation off quickly. I was horrible at improv.

"Okay.." I don't think he was buying it, but he was kind enough to let it drop.

"What about you. No school?" I brought it back to him like I had the entire walk.

"Couldn't afford it and my grades weren't perfect." Her shrugged, not seeming to care in the least about his education.

"Do you want to go to school? There are community colleges and financial aid an-"

"I don't want to go to school." He interrupted me with a quiet voice.

"Oh.. okay." There was silence for a moment before a jingling caught my attention.

"Here." He announced with a smile. I followed him in and up the stairs before we were stopped in front of the door.

"You aren't like... a goody too shoes, are you?" He asked me with a hand on the little golden knob.

"Nah, I've had my share of parties." I smirked at him before he swung the door open. The stench of pot hit my nose quickly and my face scrunched. So it was one of those parties. He lead me in and introduced me to the small group that were sitting in the living room playing some sort of card game.

"We have beer, pot, coke, X, pretty much anything you could want" He told me as we walked into the kitchen. Fuck, he wasn't kidding when he said there was a variety of things to do.

"I'll just stick to the beer." I mumbled. Wasn't he scared to have all that shit in his house?

"We have harder stuff if you want. We got wine and vodka an-"

"I'll just stick to beer." I repeated myself with a nervous smile. We joined the other six people in the room playing Cards Against Humanity. Never heard of it, but I was kicking ass.

"Damn, new girl's good. Where'd you pick her up Rhys?" A thin sweaty man asked with a yellow smile. I would have bet a good hundred on him being a heroin addict.

"Lonely lookin' gal down at the bistro. Thought she looked like she could use a bit of livening up." He nudged me with a smile before a large blunt was passed to him. I turned back to the cards in the middle. This really made me realize that you couldn't judge a book by it's cover. He didn't look like the druggie type on the street, but he fit the bill sitting in the smoke filled room.

"She's cute." Rhys giggled at the compliment.

"She's got a booyfriend." He exaggerated the word with a really stupid smile on his face. I was ready to go.

"Aww.. What he ain't know won't her 'em" He scooted closer to me and set a hand on my leg. I twitched away from him before standing.

"Umm.. I'm going to go." I pointed to the door with an overly fake smile. Rhys and two others stood.

"Come on Casey, don't leave. Ben couldn't hurt a fly even if he wanted to." That wasn't helping anything.

"I.. I have to go. I have the umm.. There's an experiment thing I have to get to."

"You told me you had all night." His childish face looked confused and a little angry. Definitely not the face of a stoner. The marks up his arms indicated he was probably addicted to serveral things, but I would give him the benefit of the doubt. Why not? I wouldn't have to see him again.

"I.. I should really go though." I felt a little uncomfortable as they pushed the subject. I could hear people entering the apartment laughing, breaking our silence.

"Heeey! Who's this?" A short round woman circled around me. Her short, red pixie trimmed hair coming just to my nose.

"Some bitch with a curfew." Ben mumbled as the woman next to him tied a band around his bicep.

"Aww, you can't be leaving. The party just arrived!" She chimed and a larger man behind her held up a baggie with a whole lot of white powder in it.

"I..." I hated disappointing people is what I did. "I can stay for a bit, but I have to be to a thing at six." I mumbled. Sitting silently was much easier than fighting to leave.

"So you're a liar?" Ben asked just before a needle sunk into his arm. He groaned and leaned his head back with a larger than life smile.

"Ignore him. He'll be better when the high kicks in." Rhys sat me back down next to him. I stared at Ben both curious and alarmed. I assumed it was heroin, but everyone was so casual. People died from that stuff and they all looked envious that he was getting a hit.

"I wouldn't go near that stuff if I were you." Rhys mumbled in my ear. I had no intention of doing so, but I suppose my stare matched everyone elses.

"You don't do that?" I asked. I assumed he did it all. It was his place afterall.

"Nah, I just sell it. Seen a few ODs and it just isn't for me. You see a lot of ups and downs in a scene like this." He told me while everyone else chatted with deaf ears.

"Oh.." I wasn't sure how I felt about that. A dealer.. I suddenly felt a lot less safe.

"Yeah. I recommend the coke though. Best shit around right here." He said a bit louder and got a few hoots and hollars from around the room. The large pixie haired woman set up some lines over the table and one by one they drew it through their noses. The straw was at my hand and I stared at the last thick line of the drug. I was VERY unsure about this.

"It won't kill ya." A tiny blonde chimed in with a smile. Her pupils had already began dialating. I shouldn't and I otherwise wouldn't, but then I remember what got me there in the first place. What my future was and how I really didn't have much longer to live it up. I leaned down and snorted up the line that they had laid out for me. My nose scrunched deeply as the powder burned through to my sinuses. I sniffed a couple more times to get the feeling of dust from my nose. How did people do this all the time? It burned my nostril and felt like it went all the way to my brain.

"It fucking burns." I couldn't stop sniffling and the room laughed.

"It'll go away in a second. You have to let it sink in." Rhys said, his head falling back before shaking his head in a shiver. People were starting to get up and move around me. Dancing and laughing and I didn't even know where a good portion of them went. Rhys sat by my side. I felt like I was going to throw up. I covered my mouth and closed my eyes. The music was too loud and I could feel the people moving around me.

In just a moment it went from annoying to desirable. I ran my fingers back through my hair and opened my eyes again. Everyone was dancing around and I wanted to be dancing too. I wanted to not be sitting anymore.

I didn't know who was bringing me to a stand, but I was glad to have the hands wrapping around me and moving my body for me when it felt like I was out of control of it.

"Feel it now?" Rhys asked as he swayed our bodies around the room.

"Yeah!" I shouted over the music.

There was an idiotic grin plastered on my face as the people rushed around me. I moved from person to person in fluid moments dancing with people I had been introduced to and some that arrived while I was dancing. Before I knew it I was in Ben's arms moving my body against him happily. I was so happy. Felt so alive. His hand grabbed a cheek of my ass and I giggled. His mouth was at the nape of my neck, kissing it and sending shivers down my spine.

"How does it feel now? Close your eyes and see. You can feel now.." The music fit perfectly with the way I was feeling. Upbeat, danceable, and extremely high enhancing. It got quieter as Ben and I danced and I realized we weren't in the living room anymore. He pushed me onto the small spring mattress in the clothes littered room. The window was thinly covered by taped newspapers and it made me laugh to know that people actually did that outside of the movies.

"What's so funny?" Ben smiled as he crawled on top of my body that shook with laughs. His hand ran through the strands of my hair that had landed on my face.

"The window is covered like in the movies." My laugh turned to nothing more than a large smile. He grunted a laugh and hovered over me with a smirk. The hazel in his eyes could barely be seen behind the enlarged pupil I noticed. We stared at each other for a moment before his lips crashed hard against mine which molded right back onto his. I pulled him closer to me as our lips moved together. I parted mine slightly and he took full advantage of the opportunity. His breath smelled of pot, but I hardly noticed over the adrenaline that ran through my veins.

His hand roughly gripped my hair and pulled my head sideways before starting a trail of sloppy kisses down to my neck. I moaned softly as his lips nipped at my collarbone and trailed further down to my shirt. I arched my back so the material could be thrown to blend in with the other clothes around the bed. He didn't bother trying to take the bra off, he just pulled it down to reveal my breasts. His lips surrounded the little pink nipple and a loud moan escaped my lips. His hand relaxed from my hair and kneaded the other breast.

"Ben" I whined his name. There was one thing I desired in that moment and I felt like if I didn't get it I would never be satisfied. My hands moved to his shorts and lid them down to my best ability as his fingers fondled at the buttons of my jeans. His need, if not greater than, was at the same hectic level as mine was. His fingers slid through the hem of my pants and underwear and slid them down over my bottom quickly.

"Get them off." He demanded as he shakily brought down his own shorts and boxers. I pushed the pants down as far as I could with his ready body towering over me impatiently. I clasped the skinny legs of the jeans between my toes and pulled them the rest of the way off. He grabbed the thin material of panties that I had still on my legs and ripped them from my body for being the inconvenience they were.

He gave no warning before pushing himself into me with a grunt. I gripped his shoulders, my nails digging into the skin. The movement between us feeling like it never had before. Was it the chemistry of our bodies or the drugs? I couldn't pinpoint it.

He roughly thrusted into my body, his hands going from my breasts to my hair and back violently as he did. He had no interest in what I liked or what felt good, but with the euphoric feeling that ran through me made every part of him feel good. I lifted my hips to meet his and he leaned up. His dirty fingers gripped my hips tightly as he fucked me. I didn't even notice my own cries of pleasure until he commanded me to shut up.

"Fuck off." I shot back at him. The movement in his hips stopped and he leaned closer to me before his hand came crashing against my cheek filling the room with a different kind of slap. Somewhere in my mind I knew that was wrong, that he shouldn't have done that, but the only thing on my mind was sex and he was giving me just that. Who was I to complain?

I raised myself to him, lips pressing to his lips in an unspoken apology and he began pumping himself into me again, my moans being caught by his mouth now rather than letting the party know of our activities.

His pace quickened and his breathing hitched slightly and before I put together the signs, he came. He collapsed next to my unsatisfied body lazily with a idiotic grin on his face. His hand tapped my face gently twice.

"Thanks." He chimed. He looked around the room and reached over the bed to bring up a pair of shorts to pull over his naked lower half. I worked my bra back over my breasts and grabbed my jeans from the floor with a sigh. My amount of dissatisfaction was through the roof. I slid the pants over my bottom and sighed at the uncomfortability that came with having no underwear on. They were unsalvageable though. It took me a minute to find my shirt in the floor of clothes, but finally the white v neck came into my sights and I pulled it over my head.

It was weird to walk back into the populated room and get the groove back. Instead of focusing on wanting sex I was satisfied with dancing again. I went around, focusing on being with women more. I was becoming aware of what I did being wrong and I didn't like that. Every time I was passed to a boy I got extremely cautious about where we were going and how they were dancing with me until I was in the arms of another.

I couldn't tell how long I danced. Alone and with partners. They all went back to take another line now and then, but I didn't feel any less than when I started. The whole house was filled with people now and I was pretty sure that at least 90 percent of them were high on something or other while the other ten percent were getting drunk.

A larger pair of arms wrapped around my waist and sniffed deeply at my neck as I danced in the loop of their arms. "Havin' fun Darlin'?"

It took me a moment to realize what I just heard. I stopped dancing and turned to see no other than Avery's face coming close to mine, giving me a good look at his deep, glowing blue eyes that held more anger than I had seen in a man before. I had been having fun, but suddenly I was worried about every man and woman in the room because the look he gave me told me that he was going to slaughter the whole lot.


	11. Chapter 11

"Heeey!" I smiled at him. It didn't fully occur to me that he was livid. His nostrils flared wildly before slowly leaning away. What was his problem?

"What're ya doin' Cace?" He asked with accusation in his tone. I looked around to the party that still danced around me. At least there wasn't some sort of scene.

"Daaancing." I sung and spun myself quickly as if it would prove some sort of alibi. I placed my hands on his shoulders while I moved the rest of my body. His hands rested gently on my hips as I swayed them.

"You smell like sex and drugs." His words resonated deep in my ear and sunk to my heart. Had I really forgotten that he would be able to smell every last event that I had partaken in? Yes. I had fully forgotten of his existence until now.

"Yeah.." I mumbled. Even attempting to lie to him would be a huge mistake. I was pretty sure that I was already in a good amount of trouble.

"Let's go. This ain't the place to talk about it." Who said anything about wanting to talk about it at all? I was having the time of my life. I didn't need him here ruining it or taking me from it. I felt a few pairs of eyes on us now that we stood in the middle of the dancing, unmoving. I just stared at him and he rolled his eyes before gripping my wrist tightly.

"I don't want to go!" I exclaimed angrily and yanked my arm away. He looked over me for a second with an eerie calmness. I just stared at him trying to find out what kind of emotion he was masking. That was a mistake. I should have walked away while I still could. His hand came out of no where and a loud crack filled the room as it came in contact with my cheek. My bottom found the ground quickly and my palm reached up to attempt to sooth the burning half of my face.

"What the fuck, man?" Ben came over to me and tried to help me up.

"No. Don't." I tried to keep him away. The music was gone and for a second everything went in slow motion. People were coming towards Avery with profanities, but his eyes wouldn't tear from Ben. I could see his nostrils flatten so slightly as he took in a breath of the air around him. In a moment his eyes went from a furious, glowing blue to the white of a forever snowy mountain cap. He lunged at Ben and I scrambled up from the ground. I could hear the sound of his fangs tearing viciously into the drug addict's neck.

"Avery!" I screamed and his neck twisted sharply and quickly like an animal that just heard it's prey move. His mouth was covered in blood and in his hand was Ben's head. A devilish smirk raised on his lips before he disappeared from my sight.

The room echoed in screams and Everything moved so fast I didn't know what to do. I was shaking. My hands couldn't get a good grip of anything much like my mind. Blood was being splattered in every which direction and I didn't know what I was doing. I watched heads be torn off, jugulars torn out and body parts be bent in ways they shouldn't. My heart was pounding harder and faster than it ever had.

I saw the little red head running for the door and as soon as her hand was on the knob her spine was torn from her little body. Blood gushed from her back, staining the floor with a pool of the thick red liquid. I couldn't keep eyes on Avery, I just saw bodies fall to the floor. I was frozen. Why hadn't he gotten me yet. Did he really need me to see him murder every single one of these people before he ended me? Let me know that I angered him so much that he did this?

I stood surrounded by bodies, by horrific amounts of blood and by guilt. I didn't need him to tell me this was my fault to know it. The numbers were down. At least twenty bodies were scrambled and twisted on the floor and a small huddle of three people were screaming and crying in a corner. Soon everyone around me was dead and Avery was still unseen. With the way I stood, eyes glued to one spot in a petrified stare I wouldn't doubt they thought it was me that did all this. Like the movie, Carrie. But I wasn't the one behind the mass amount of people at my feet.

Avery appeared in front of me and tears fell over the brim of my eyes before I fell to the floor in a heap of uselessness. His white irises followed me to the floor with a glare. I sat in the middle of a blood drenched graveyard waiting for him to make his next move. I had no idea what it would be I had no idea if he was going to kill me or the group of three, which I noticed contained of Rhys and two little blonde girls whose cries pierced my ears in the worst possible way. My knees were at my chest and my elbows rested on the crooked top of them. My hands gripped my hair tightly as I anxiously watched the blood covered shoes make their way over to the trio.

"You own this place?" Avery asked. I looked and saw Rhys nod very slowly as tears made their way down his thin cheeks. One of the girls went into a frenzy and tried to run past Avery screaming, but his arm shot out quickly and she fell to the ground with a large indent on the side of her head. Blood and something else ran out of her nose and mouth, I believed it was her brain. I was going to vomit. I did vomit. My body thrashed violently to the side as the bile exited my frail body. My hands had splashed in the blood which made me ever more sick. I didn't have much in me though and I was left dry heaving over the spot.

"You like this Cace? Do you like what you did? I think it looks pretty good. A nice little piece of work. Much like you. Both reek of betrayal." Avery's hand gripped my hair and pulled me up like I was nothing more than a rag doll. Blood dripped from my finger tips back onto the floor. I couldn't answer. I opened and closed my mouth a thousand time but the only sound that escaped was shaking sobs.

"Your betrayal of me.. My betrayal of fucking emotion and faith in the human fucking race! Ain't it pretty?!" I screamed when he shook me by the hairs on my head. "Huh, Cace?" He shouted. I blubbed out a lot of nothing and he tossed me into the corner where the other two sat staring in horror. My body crashed into the little blonde who couldn't be older than eighteen. She whined before I rolled off from her. Neither of the two tried to help me up. They got as far away from me as possible. I was a plague on their lives much like Avery was one in mine now.

"Even your friends don't want to be around you." He grabbed the bicep of the young girl who squealed as she was pulled up. "What is your opinion of her?" He looked deep into the girl's eyes and I knew that he was forcing her to answer.

"I don't know her."

"Then why are you scared of her."

"She brought a monster to a party." Honesty, in this case, was not the best policy. Avery's nostrils flared and the two of them disappeared, or at least that's what it seemed like. They just went to the other side of the room, but human eyes couldn't catch the movement.

"Please!" She screeched just before his teeth sunk into her neck. He didn't kill her instantly like the others. He slowly sucked the life from her until she was just on the brink.

"I, darling, am not the monster here." He clarified before snapping her spine with the flick of his hand. Rhys cried out in an agonizing howl and I covered my screaming mouth with bloody hands.

He stood there, staring at the bloody mess in awe. His eyes looked from body to body with a horrifying smile. Neither I nor Rhys dared move. Well, his petrification may have been induced by the horror of the scene. I was quiet because I knew that one wrong move could kill both of us.

"Your sister was quite a treat." He flashed bloody teeth in our direction. "I bet you'll be just as delicious." He was not even half a step away from us when he spoke again. I didn't know what ran through me, maybe it was adrenaline or a fear the induced stupidity that made me shoot up in front of him.

_"Don't_ touch him." I glared at him. His eyes seeped deep into my soul and I wonder if he was the one making my heart beat ten million times faster than it should.

"Okay." The word hit my ear just before his fingers gripped my jaw with a bruising force. "I won't touch _him_." the words seeped from his long plump lips. He slammed me against the wall head first and I swore that I could hear a crack. A hand instinctively went to cradle the spot. His free hand grabbed my forearm and squeezed it tightly. This time I was positive when I heard the snapping of both the bones in his fist. I heard my scream before I felt it burn my dry throat.

Tears fell down my cheeks. In pain, in sadness, everything I felt in that moment was condensed to tears and loud wails that I couldn't exactly calm down. He let go of my arm and it fell to dangle in an extremely uncomfortable, unnatural and, most of all, painful manner. I didn't dare touch the limp limb that swayed slightly at my side. He loosened his grip on my jaw only slightly and brought his newly free hand to my blood dipped strands of hair. He tucked it behind my ear as I cried, wishing that he would let me go. Or kill me. I decided two minutes ago that death might be a fine alternative than living with a conscious covered in blood.  
"You're such a waste." His bearded cheek rubbed against mine as he whispered the words right into my ear. All I could so was sob uselessly, limp behind his strong fingers. He slid them from my jaw to my neck and took my breath in a single squeeze.

"There is nothing more that I want to do right now than take your miserable fucking life." I could feel the anger and betrayal in the words. "Listen to your final gasps as you choke out." His grip tightened considerably around my neck and a euphoric feeling flooded through me, taking away the fear. My body was quite literally taking in death, welcoming it to take over my broken body. A very faint smile crossed my lips as black dots began to cloud my vision.

"But that's just too easy." With the flick of his wrist he threw my near lifeless body to the door. I was numb. My body refused to respond to the commands I gave it and soon enough I gave up trying. I looked up to see why things had seemed to stop and, aside from being littered with dead bodies, the room was empty. I set a palm on a drenched rug and tried to lift myself, but without the use of my other arm it was impossible to lift the dead weight that I had become.

It felt like I laid there forever before the door creaked open. I didn't even have the strength to turn my head and see who was picking me up, but with how little trouble they had I assumed it was Byron. I groaned as my broken arm swayed around.

"Shhhh.." The voice soothed me slightly and he grabbed my good arm and wrapped it around his neck. I could see now who was holding me. I caught a pair of icy blue eyes with my own and tears filled my eyes to the brim before spilling over. Gabriel's face was soft as he took me away from the horror filled room. My good hand clenched the hood of his jacket and I buried my head in his shoulder before I began sobbing. His cold breath chilled my arm as he sighed.

Me face never left his shoulder. Even when the sobs had subsided I didn't want to show my face. It wasn't until I heard the click of a lock did I peek out at the world again. A large black door opened to darkness that never turned light. I could barely see the outline of furniture in the room, but it was there. He rushed through the house and two sets of stairs before opening another door that revealed a bedroom that glowed with candle light. A bed large enough for a party sat in the middle of the room. A very small collection of books was in a corner by a chair and a window, but that was all I was able to see before I was in a bathroom.

He gently set me in a large clawfoot tub that sat diagonally in a corner. He lifted my limp arm to the side of the tub and ripped my shirt down that side of my body. He lifted the now red piece of clothing over my head and off my other arm. He looked me over for a moment before leaving the room. I leaned my head against the back of the tub. Maybe this was where I had to sleep. It wasn't so bad, but I was tired and hurt, so I flat metal board would have felt good at this point.

"Hey!" He exclaimed the word and my eyes snapped right back open. He had gauze and wooden boards in a hand and scissors in the other. He set them in a pile by where he knelt. "You can't sleep yet." He mumbled as he grabbed the scissors in his left hand and cut my bra from my body. I was too traumatized and tired to care at that point if he saw me naked. From what I could see he was going to help me and I refused to be a pain in the ass. The scissors snipped up each side of my pants quickly and he tossed aside the broken jeans quickly before starting the water.

"I'll be right back. Do not fall asleep." He was so demanding. I just needed a little nap. Just a few seconds to close my eyes and let dreams take over. It would be so easy, but I didn't. I watched the water envelop my legs with warmth. I really could sleep now. It was hard to fight off sleep, but I had. The door creaked open again and he had a few towels. Too many towels. My eyes widened as he took his jacket off and I brought my water covered legs to a bend so I could try to stand. His hand put just enough pressure on my shoulder to keep me down.

"If you become trouble I'm going to kick you right back out to Avery." He growled in my ear. I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. He set some shampoos and soaps on a table that ran across the side of the tub. It must have been custom made because it fit right along the tub while the corner was perfectly against the corner of the room. He set the boards and gauze on the table as well before taking off his shirt that was as white as mine had been. I couldn't help but look at the body beneath it. A ripple of muscles went up his lithe body that made him look stronger than usual. His arms bulged slightly with muscle and I bet anything that if he flexed the arm would define every curve of muscle in his upper arm. I looked away with a blush when he caught me admiring.

"It's not nice to stare." He stated the phrase I had heard my entire life.

"Sorry.." I muttered as my free hand glided across the top of the pink water. He slipped off his jeans and stepped in the tub opposite of me. I tried not to look at him. I was embarrassed that I had even looked the first time and now he wasn't wearing any pants.

He turned the tub off that had made it just under my breast. He grabbed the boards and set one in his mouth and the other slid under my arm. I winced from the pain, but I knew he wasn't trying to make it hurt. When he had it positioned he set the other one on top of it arm and told me to hold it there. I gingerly put my fingers on the board to keep it from moving. He wrapped the white cloth around the boards and my arm gently until he reached the middle. The wrap got tighter and the board held together right in the place of the break. I was crying again, but not loudly. It was just the reaction to pain without screaming. I had my whole bottom lip in my mouth to make sure I didn't scream.

"That's not going to hold very well." I observed the wrapping job.

"It doesn't need to for long." He shot back and I wondered if he planned on killing me again. I doubted it. He didn't seem like the type to waste his time like this. It was probably just for the bath. He grabbed a rough sponge looking loofa and began scrubbing my blood stained body. It didn't look comfortable, but I couldn't deny how good it felt to be scrubbed of all the DNA.

He had covered every inch of my body except for the back. He got up and moved to sit behind me. his legs slid in around mine as he started to scrub my back.

"So what happened?" He asked now that I was really awake. I wasn't sure if he actually wanted to know or if he wanted the silence gone. I didn't want to answer though.

"Can I tell you tomorrow?" I asked him and leaned my head back, forgetting that I would land on his chest.

"I just thought you might want to talk about it now. I have to drain the tub and rewash you with actual soap. I haven't even touched your hair yet and I need to fix your arm. Didn't know if you liked silence or not. You've seemed quite boisterous in the past week or so." He set the slightly red tinted loofa on the table and squeezed just a bit of shampoo into his hand. He rubbed it through the ends of my hair to get the blood out before draining the tub.

"I don't. My head is still fuzzy and I'm still not sure if this is a dream or not. I really hope it is." I grumbled. What a nightmare to have.

"Suit yourself." He shrugged and stood again to be in front of me before starting a clean stream of water. He washed my body quickly and without stopping. He dumped a small bucket of water over my head to get my hair wet before getting behind me again. I was really growing tired and I was glad that we were in the final steps of cleaning. He finished my back before his fingers massaged my skull.

"**Ow**!" I cringed away from him as he touched the sensitive part of my skull. I had forgotten about the crack I had heard before my arm. Maybe that was the cause of the massive headache I had.

"Just hold still for a minute. You're almost done." He grumbled with annoyance present in his voice. I doubted he had taken care of many humans in his life. He dumped two more buckets of the soapy water over my head. Finally.

I felt good enough to stand, but his right arm snaked around my chest and held me close to him.

"Hey!" I yelled at him as I struggled mindlessly to get away from him. He covered my mouth with his wrist that was wet with what I thought was water, but when I looked into the soapy stuff I saw a drip of blood in it. I opened my mouth to protest again, but he only shoved more of the broken skinned arm into my mouth and blood filled it.

"It will fix you." He said between clenched teeth as he tried to keep me still. I didn't believe him, but I had no other choice. The first swallow was the worst. It tasted just as vile and metallic as human blood, but when I actually drew it from his arm it tasted sweeter. He groaned deep in my ear as I sucked the stuff from him. The pain in my head slowly subsided and I could feel something happening to my arm, though that was more uncomfortable than pleasant. It felt like it was.. mending. He pulled his arm when the wound had healed. He cupped some water in his hand and brought it up to clean my mouth of his blood.

"See." He mumbled before standing up. I just sat in the tub and thought about what just happened. I just drank his blood. Did he even produce blood or was the other human's blood? He took a lot from me. Was that my blood? That thought made me a little nauseous. He came back over with a towel wrapped around him and cut the gauze from the boards. I understood now why it had been wrapped the way it was. I moved the arm and smiled when my fingers moved and there was no pain when I extended and retracted my elbow.  
"The bruises don't go away unfortunately. It won't hurt where there are some, but it will take a day or two for the color to subside." He said as he reached over to unplug the drain. He stood above me as I inspected the dark purple bruise that covered at least half of my forearm. He cleared his throat and I looked over to see his hand waiting to help me up. I grabbed it and he pulled me up before leaving the room. Now that I was well and didn't have a death wish I felt uncomfortable here. I dried my hair and body before walking back into the bedroom. The first thing I noticed was the giant clock above the bed. It was a little excessive, but it helped pull off the Victorian feeling of the room. Now that I thought about it the bathroom had the same sort of setting.

"Here." Gabriel was now dressed in another white tank top and a pair of boxers. He threw a red nightgown onto the bed before exiting the room. I pulled it down over my towel covered hair and let it fall to the middle of my thigh. It was a size too big, but that would only make it more comfortable to sleep in. I flipped my head and caught the towel as it unraveled from the top. I scrubbed my hands together with the towel and hair between them to dry the damp locks as best I could. I hated sleeping with wet hair and I doubted he had a hair tie, or more, I refused to ask for one. I climbed into the bed as soon as I was satisfied and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I wasn't sure if it was how comfortable the bed was or how tired I was, but nothing could have woken me from the darkness I had just been pulled into.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Thank you all for feedback. It really helps me out to know what you think. :)**_  
_**Things are starting to get busy here so there will probably be a bit more time between chapters now. Blame College. ;P**_  
_**Have fun, I enjoy you all. **_

A ringing in my ears woke me up, but I realized quickly that it was my own headache buzzing through. I opened my eyes slowly and was thankful that the window was covered by heavy drapes to keep the room dark. My scrunched eyes looked over to see what time it was, but I wasn't in my bed. Memories slowly and foggily came back of last night. My eyes widened and I began to scurry out of bed when I realized where I was.

I had ran two steps when a hand clasped over my mouth and the other cradled the back of my head. My wide brown orbs stared in horror at Gabriel's icy blue ones.

"Shhh.. Don't do anything you're going to regret." He warned as he sat me back on the bed. He removed both hands from my head slowly.

"But why... what.." I didn't know how to put any of it together. Why was _he_ taking me in?

"Form a proper sentence Casey. I don't like blubbering." He crossed the room back to one of the chairs in the reading area. I looked down at my fingernails and picked at them nervously. I didn't know if I could form a proper sentence. I stood again and looked from the door to the curtains. Couldn't I just open them and then...

"Just remember I'm faster than you." Did he read my mind? Wasn't that impossible?

"What made you say that?" I asked as I walked over to where he was sitting and looking uninterestedly into a magazine.

"You looked like you were contemplating running again." He stated before concentrating back on the flimsy paper.

"Oh.." I mumbled and adjusted the hem of the gown as I sat across from him. "Why am I here?" I asked my first question.

"I brought you here." He set the magazine onto the table next to him and crossed his legs.

"Why though?" I tried not lo look at him. I didn't like to look at him. He was intimidating and everytime I saw his eyes all I could think of how Avery's irises turned white like his almost were.

"instinct I suppose. You looked about half dead."

"That never sparked anything before." I mumbled as if he wouldn't be able to hear me.

"Well let's just say you might be of some value now." What did that mean? I picked at my fingers again. "What happened last night?" He asked the next question.

"I don't know.." I bit the inside of my lip. It was only half a truth.

"What set Avery off?" He asked something a bit more specific.

"How do you know it was Avery?" I asked. Did he sit by and watch the whole thing or did Vampires have scents as well?

"I could see his thoughts when he passed me by. He was very out of it. Didn't even catch my scent." He seemed annoyed by the lack of observation.

"How did you know where he would be? Did he have someone with him?" I remembered Rhys had gone missing with him.

"Well I _was_ just trying to find you. You're a very easy girl to find. I didn't know he would be there, but it gave me a good bit of time to prepare for what I was about to walk into. And yes, he had a boy with him. I don't think he'll be lasting long though." His features became grim as his eyes glazed over with a memory. His long thin lips tightened for just a moment before his face relaxed.

"Why were you trying to find me? Obviously you don't want me to be dead." I put Rhys out of my mind. He was a goner for sure after an expression like that.

"Don't be so sure Ms. Casey." He shot me a look of his fangs with a hiss. I wasn't convinced.

"You wouldn't waste effort on me like that just to kill me again. You said something about value and I doubt it's my blood." I was getting ahead of myself.

"I don't know.." He disappeared again, but the hand snaking over my mouth gave away his position. "You're _quite_ a treat." I tried to jump up. I had gotten too cocky. His hand kept me where I was. The hair at my neck brushed over my left shoulder and he wasted no time sinking his teeth into my neck. I screamed into his hand at the sting of the wound.

A wet tongue licked over the bite and he pulled away from me. My fingers shot up and I flinched when I felt the two puncture holes. Why weren't they bleeding? I pulled my hair back over to cover both sides of my neck and glared at him. He hadn't even taken the time to clean his mouth of the dark red drink.

"I really hope you get to stick around. You really do taste delightful." His bloody smile made me cringe. I was getting out of here as soon as I could. "Now where were we? Oh, right." He put a finger up to his chin and wiped some of the blood,_ my _blood, into his mouth. "Your value.. Well, I was looking for you because I've been talking to some people who might have an idea of why your heart does that.. thing." I never noticed how uninterested he was in everything until he started talking about this. His eyes lit up as if he was going to find out the answer to life itself.

"And why do you need me? Can't you talk amongst your... friends?" I asked and mentally scolded myself for getting another attitude. I just hated him _so_ much.

"Well they haven't seen it in about nine hundred years so they want to see it themselves." I refused to go anywhere with him. Ever. He was insane if he thought I would just agree to this.

"What makes you think I'll go?"

"If you become a problem there's a store down the street that sells chloroform. I don't exactly need your permission. I can kill you in less than a second and you think something like whether or not you want to go will affect if you do or not?" He asked and I sunk a little into the plush leather chair. "Let me make one thing clear. You do not get a choice. If I want you to come with me, you will come with me. If they decide to kill you, you will die." I looked down to my fingers with a scowl. He grabbed my chin roughly and brought it up to face him. "Do you understand?" He asked harshly.

"Yeah." I pulled my face away from him. "I understand." I grumbled.

"Good. Now, tell me what set off Avery last night." He didn't bother sitting down again. It would be a pain to have to keep getting up just to get his points across to my unaccepting brain.

"I said I don't know." I mumbled the lie. He growled in warning. I had a feeling he would have no problem killing me if I pushed him to it.

"Tell me." His voice held much more authority than before. He was done playing nice for the fragile human.

"I... I got high." He didn't look convinced. "On cocaine.." His expression didn't change. "And I slept with this guy."

"That's why he killed twenty six people?" Was he really not convinced?

"Okay. So I went there and did what I did and then I was dancing and then Avery was there and I danced with him and he wanted to leave and I didn't want to..." I was talking quickly. I didn't want this to drag out. I really just wanted him to leave now that I knew exactly why I was being held there. "And he hit me hard. Then the guy I slept with came to help me up and I think he could smell him and his eyes turned white and he pounced on him and people started to crowd and then they all started to go down. I couldn't see him, but I could see when heads were torn from the shoulders and spines from the back. Arms from the socket.." I reviewed the images with a sober mind and it was all even more gruesome. "Then it was just me and that other kid and he disappeared. Left me there. I wouldn't have died I don't think. I had wished he killed me when it was happening."

"Well, I'm glad he didn't." It would have been borderline sweet if I hadn't been aware that I was only around for selfish gain of knowledge.

"I'm not. I think I was hoping I would die before he got there. Maybe taken too much of something.. I hate living now. Everything is out of control and I'm surrounded by people I hate." I pressed my fingers to my eyes to keep tears from spilling. "And it's all your fault." I whispered very faintly. He ruined my life and here he stood five feet in front of me probably loving every second of my misery.

"Well if you would have just died the first time we wouldn't be here so you can blame yourself." He stated. "Stop your crying. Pitying yourself. How pathetic." He spat. How was this the same guy who helped me last night?

"How am I pathetic?" I asked angrily. "You can't fucking control yourself. You take innocent lives, ruin others. I think that's a little more pathetic than mourning a perfectly good life. You don't know what it's like to be killed every two days. To live every day thinking that you won't make it through the week." I got up and started for the door.

"You think I don't know?!" He yelled. "I've lived seven hundred fucking years not knowing if I was going to die. I've gone hundreds of years at a time wishing that I would die without having to take the cowards way out. I've had my share of self-pity and hatred for the world and when I snapped out of it I realized how much I could do. How much power I had in my hands that I could do as I pleased with. You haven't seen the beginning of what I can do, but if you so much as touch that handle you will." The threat ran through my ears clear as day. My hand hovered over the metal knob before dropping it to my side.

"As for being killed every two days. I've been dead for several hundred years sweetheart, you have no place to complain about almost dying a few times." His voice was closer now. Right behind me.

"So you think that just because you've lived longer than everyone else that you should be able to take their lives? Don't they deserve to fully live their lives?"

"You act like I'm the only one that has done that. There are millions of us around that do the exact same thing."

"Byron and Avery at least ate the bad guys." A deep dark chuckled hummed through his mouth.

"You're stupid if you actually believe that." He told me and I turned to glare.

"Why? Byron is a nice guy! He helped me more in the past few days than I had ever been before." Gabriel's eyes turned to slits as he glared back at me.

"How?"

"He... Umm.." What did he do for me? "He helped Mallory home and told me he was going to help me with...you.." Oh.

"And then he brought me over, knowing that I was the bad guy. Probably knowing that I would pounce at your annoying ass once nothing got resolved. Do you know what he did that night?" He brought his face closer to mine and I leaned away. His hand caught the back of my head to still me.

"When I tore half your neck out he didn't heal you. He licked it all up after me." His finger tucked the blonde strands of my hair behind my ear. "You could have died and even when you were clean he didn't heal you. Avery did. You weren't worth the effort of saving. He wanted you around for the same reasons as I do and when he realized that I had nothing more to do with you he felt the same." Realization hit me hard. There was no good guy here.

"But he was there when I woke up. He defended me wanting to leave when Avery did..n't.." My eyes fell to the floor. He was just trying to get rid of me. He wasn't there when Avery went crazy. He had no intention of getting me back. It all could have been over if Avery wasn't in the picture. Both men had given up. Now I was stuck here.

"Now that you know your life really is in shambles and no one actually likes you we can get on to bigger and better things." He leaned into my neck and my hands went up to push him away.

"What the hell?"I squealed as my hands forced him away from me. If he stumbled I didn't see it. He just went with the push and stood in front of me as he had before. I caught a slight flicker in his eyes before he pushed me again the door. His teeth were in my neck again, but I didn't feel pain. Desire ran through my body furiously and a hand ruffled through his bright blonde hair to pull him closer. I moaned just before a chuckle escaped his lips and he pulled away. I brought my hands down, disappointed at first and then I realized what he just did.

"You really are _quite_ the little whore." He was laughing at me.

"What! You made me feel that!" I couldn't live with him for another second let alone a week. He was bipolar and was already driving me insane. I liked him better when he wanted to kill me. At least** that **was predictable.

"Don't act like you're some sort of victim. I can't make you do anything remember, you're pretty little head is mess up." His fingers tapped lightly at my skull. I glowered at him. There was no way I had that sort of feeling on my own. "But since you admittedly felt good.." He didn't give half a second between the final word and pressing his lips against mine roughly.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Sorry about the wait! School is kicking my ass, but I'm on course now and found time in this past week for writing. Enjoy! **_

I grabbed his hair angrily and tried to yank him away from me. He responded by grabbing mine and pulling it three times harder. I whined in protest, but he only took the opportunity to slide his cold wet tongue into my mouth. He tasted like mint, but that was far from the point. I retracted my tongue as much as I could before biting down. I cringed preveniently waiting to taste blood, but my teeth didn't break the skin of the muscle. His fingers wrapped around my jaw tightly, forcing me to stop biting down.

"I thought you **wanted** this." He growled between clenched teeth, his face not a inch away from my own. I just glared at him.

"You know I don't." I shot back matching his dark tone. His lips twisted into a horrid smile that gave his face a very dark undertone.

"Whether you want it or not you're getting it." He told me once again, but it had a completely different meaning now. He began kissing at my neck, causing my whole body to tense. He inhaled deeply and I stopped my own breathing.

"You smell so sinfully delightful." He moaned in my ear. I turned my head away from him with a sharp flick. Golden strands stuck to my dampened face. An extended fang ran from my ear to my neck causing my body to shudder.

"Please don't." I murmured under his towering body as soon as his hand gripped my breast. He pulled away and stared me down with a chilling glare. His fingers tightened around the breast until I whimpered before he let go.

"Do you think you get to dictate what happens to you?" He asked, pushing his whole body closer to me, pinning me with his hips. I can feel him under the strain of his pants and hope seemed to leave me. My face drained and my eyes stared at the floor to my side. I couldn't force myself to look at him. I hear him sigh and the weight on me is gone. I realized then that he was what was keeping me standing. My shaking legs brought me down to my knees.

"You're really lucky force isn't my thing." I watched his bare feet saunter away from me and it felt like I could breathe better with every step he took. I am lucky. I didn't realize it before, but every situation I've gotten out of was lucky. It was lucky that Avery found me when I was half dead in the forest, I was lucky that Byron didn't kill Mallory or me when we walked into his club. I was lucky that Avery liked me enough not to take me back to Gabriel right away. So many little things that could have ended up bad that didn't.

I don't know how long I sat there thinking about everything, but it was long enough to make Gabriel impatient. He left for all of two seconds before coming back up with some food and set it in front of me. I sat with my back against the wall and peered up at him through thick lashes.

"Thank you." I whisper and his face softened for just a second. I think he knew I wasn't talking about the food. He sits criss cross next to me.

"Like I said, It's not my thing." He mumbles as his fingers push his hair back from his face. I grab my plate and start to eat the peanut butter sandwich.

"I mean about everything. I know you could just keep me in some cell you probably have, but you let me stay in here when it really just means more work for you. And you bathed me." I said after swallowing my first bite. I can't remember the last time I actually ate something.

"Trust me, locking you up gets more tempting every second. You're quite a dull human. You don't even try to run. No fun to babysit." He said with seeming disinterest, but I could hear the amusement in his voice.

"What's the point?" I asked with my mouth still full. He glared at me.

"Don't talk with your mouth full. Were you born in a barn?" He scolded me. I bit my lip to keep back my laugh. I swallowed before continuing.

"There's no point in running. You're faster and I don't want to test your limits. After yesterday I don't really want to test any of your kinds' patience." His lips twitch before going back to the hard line that they have always been in.

"Yes, it's probably better to keep you off the radar. You have a little mouth to go with that delectable body." I scooted away from him a few inches, feeling uncomfortable once again.

"Oh please." He breathed. "If I wanted to take you I would have done it already. Trust me, I'm impulsive." He seemed to gloat at the fact.

"Yeah, I've caught that." I mumble and start to pick at the sandwich now that I have lost my appetite.

"Yes.." His voice returns to it's dark and distant tone as he stands. "I suppose you have had a taste of it." He walked to the reading area once again and picked up a tattered novel.

"How long are you going to keep me pent up in here?" I asked, knowing all too well that he would be able to hear me.

"Until we leave. Still have a week or so to decide if I want to chain you up in the basement." I could hear the humor in his voice, but it went unappreciated.

"That's not fair. I can't be in here that long. I need to get out and do things. I'm not a home body." I mumbled grumpily.

"I've given you plenty of ways to spice up the days." He returned matter of factly.

"I want to go outside." I was already starting to feel the claustrophobia.

"Avery is out there waiting for me to let you out." He dropped the book to the table a bit angrily. What made him think he would be able to just sit and read for a week?

"Why doesn't he come in and take me?" I asked, confused once again. He just gives me an are-you-serious look.

"Because he doesn't own this house.." Gabriel told me as if he were talking to a child. Slowly and with a hint of impatience and superiority. I just stare at him waiting to elaborate.

"He.. or, we, can't get into any house unless we have permission from the owner. Hotels aren't people owned and don't cause a problem."

"What about apartments?" I asked, confused about how terms and conditions apply.

"Same as houses. The owner of the apartment has to invite us inside."

"How did Avery get into the apartment last night?" I asked yet another question that he seemed bored with.

"I'm sure he compelled them to talk to the owner and made him let them in."

"Can't he do that to this owner?"

"I am the owner of this house. Anything that is on the market and not family owned can be bought. The only way he could get in here is if I let him in." I visibly relaxed as he said this. I didn't know how scared I had been of Avery until I didn't have to fear him any longer.

"Why can't I go out when it's sunny?" I mumbled ten minutes later. He set down his book once again.

"That kid he took is out there waiting to snatch you. There would be nothing I could do and you'd probably die before I could get to you." He shrugged away the question.

"Wait.." I shook my head before looking at him while he looked at his nails as if they were the most interesting things in the world. "Rhys is out there?" He didn't even glimpse at me when he nodded.

"I thought you said he wasn't going to survive.." I got another shrug which just fueled an angry, confused me.

"I guess he found a use for him." He mumbled.

"What's your problem?" I snapped at him. His eyebrows creased in and stopped playing with his fingers. He slowly raised his head to me, his mouth slightly parted.

"Excuse me?" He looked taken aback. "I don't have a problem. I'm answering your questions. I think I'm being pretty reasonable."

"You haven't even looked at me." I complained. He shrugged again. "Stop shrugging! Seriously, that's so annoying. Why don't you use your words."

"I don't want to look at you. You already smell like heaven itself. Every time I even glance at you I just want to rip you apart. Or fuck you. I don't know, it's different every time I look." He was so nonchalant as I sat there, my jaw to the floor.

"Wha- I-.." Words failed me. My eyes slanted into a glare and I started to pick at my own nails. Was he trying to confuse me? We were both silent for a few moments while I gathered my thoughts and he did God knows what.

"Do it then." I finally spoke, challenging him with the words. Without hesitation he was over me, my arms pinned to the wall at the side of my head.

"Do what?" He snarled, his glowing eyes burning into my own. I leaned forward, glaring just as icily as he was until our noses touched.

"Kill me."


	14. Chapter 14

**_I almost didn't do it, but I finally got one reply with a request. Thank you Hijiki!_**  
**_Here's Gabriel's point of view after the party. Enjoy._**

My fingers intertwine with the long blonde strands tightly as I slowly suck the delicious drink from her limp body. She wasn't dead, unfortunately for her. I took more and more until the beating heart finally stopped. Ever since Casey- I've been a little more careful to make sure my victims were dead. I drag the lifeless whore deeper into the alley and cut right down the middle of her body so her clothes fall to the sides, leaving her new wound exposed. I pushed my finger against the soft broken flesh until I was touching her heart. It was as still as could be when I punctured the muscle and drug it from the wound. She lay there with a hole in her chest, her body exposed to the world just like she wanted. I hate prostitutes.

I stuff the heart into her mouth before leaving. The press is going to have a field day with this new serial killer around. I won't be able to stay here long.

I flash out of the alley before anyone could see. Not that it would matter. Witnesses just meant seconds. I walk amongst the few people on the sidewalks, hearing every stupid thing that comes to mind.

_Does Robert think I'm cheating? Does this really count?  
I wish missy would blow me more. I bet I get more head than Rob. Idiot._

"Billy did what!"_  
I should never have had kids._  
"No Marcia, time out is not a just way to deal with children. They won't understand. He'll get it eventually."_  
I really wish it was okay to beat your kids. That's the third cat this year. Oh god, he's going to be a serial killer. What did I do to deserve this?_

A scent distracts me to the interesting story unfolding in front of me. That kid might make a good prodigy one day. What was another ten or so years? Charles died years ago, I could use another partner. No, wait. I hated having someone there all the time.

"Fuck off!" I know that voice. A slap fills my ears and I immediately tense, every sense of my being focusing on the new story in my ears. There was no protest, only continued moans that were hardly muffled. I enter the building and go up to the room where I heard the small commotion, stopping when I smell what is on the other side. A medley of drugs and alcohol fill my nostrils. I turn back immediately. She was bringing whatever happened upon herself by getting into that shit.

"What do you mean you don't care?" It was like a reunion now. I should have stayed with the whore a bit longer.  
"I want nothing more to do with her. Take her to wherever. I don't care anymore. She's useless." The voice is altered by a faulty connection.  
"Don't you want to know what's wrong with her?"  
"Honestly, if I have to be around that vacant head one more time I might lose mine. It's infuriating. As for the not dying bit, I couldn't care less. I thought that was a stupid thing to even think about getting to the bottom of." Oh how wrong was he. Casey's only interesting aspect was her ability to come back from death. Especially now that the Elders might know something about it. I am reminded now that I need to keep Casey in Seattle until I hear word. With Byron showing nothing but disinterest it will be hard to convince her to stay.

"Casey's in here." I point to the door as Avery walks up. "I think she just got done fucking some guy. You might want to check on her. He hit her pretty hard." It was a lie, but I wanted nothing more that to see that asshole die and with Avery's temper it would be a guarantee.

"And where are you going?" He sneers at me. I want to laugh at him. What a fool.

"I never had a destination. I heard what I heard and came up, but there is all kind of drugs in there and I prefer to steer clear." I remember the acid trip of one man having to be cut short because he was screaming vampire at me. It wasn't hard to take care of, but I get paranoid every time an addict looks at me funny.

"She's high?" More anger. This was going to be a fun party.

''She might be. I just heard her moans and cries as he fucked her. I don't know if she got fucked up before it happened. I would hope her judgment was impaired though, otherwise it might mean she doesn't love you." I let the last word hang in the air with my ghost. I was in a different alley to try and hear what was happening. The first head ripping from its hinges wasn't a surprise, but soon there was a melody of rips and screams.

One sound played in my head over and over. The crack of skin amongst skin and the very small protested breath that Casey took before falling. I could hear the screams dying down, but all I could find myself listening for was Casey. I really hope I didn't just get her irreversibly killed. I could hear someone vomiting. I'm sure it was a beautiful disaster up there. A piece of...

"A nice little piece of work. Much like you…" At least I knew she was alive, or at least, he was talking to her. Who knew, it could have been her disembodied head for all I knew. Her weak and trying response caused me to let out a breath that I didn't particularly need. I worried for a second about why I cared so much and then I remembered that I need her for the elders.

I listened quietly as another died. There were two sets of breath now and a single pair of footsteps. Did I want to hear this? Not particularly. Everyone seemed to be dead but Casey and the owner whose thoughts were too scattered for me to even try to pay attention to.

Fists clenched at my sides as I heard her again, this time she was crying and her little body was being slammed against the wall. The cracks of a bone made him want to go up there and execute Avery, but that would look bad from all angles. Then another crack filled his ears, more obvious this time and it was accompanied by a loud, pain filled shrill. I made a mistake.

I hated listening. Her breath became shallow and for just a second I believed that Avery was actually going to kill her. Relief flooded my veins when I heard her land on the floor. I didn't hear much from the final victim besides his thoughts and heartbeat, but his mind was clear enough to hear that he wanted to know where they were going. He was probably smart to keep the question in his head.

I waited five minutes, wanting to make sure Avery was gone before going up. I tested the doorway and it allowed me in. The kid must be dead then. Better for me. I scoop Casey's useless body in my arms. Even covered in cold dead blood she smelled amazing. I liked this. I liked her around me, grabbing to me as if I were her only lifeline. And then she was crying. I hadn't felt a knot like this in my stomach in centuries. She let it all out, her sobs hardly getting caught by my jacket.

I ran to my home, risking her oxygen as I went faster. I could feel Avery's agony even though I was a good five miles away. That was the beauty of having a newborn. As long as they are close enough by their high emotions were shared. I justified my little obsession with the girl in my arms with that idea.

I didn't rush through the house, knowing that she would be safe once through the threshold. I walked up the stairs. What exactly was I going to do with her? I found myself in my room. I looked over her quickly. She wasn't sleeping in my bed looking like that. I walked to the bathroom and set her tenderly into the tub and grabbed her broken arm. It looked much worse than I thought it would, he shattered the bones in her arm and suddenly regret ran through me like wildfire. I could have stopped this. I was the cause of this.

I slowly ripped the shirt up the side of her broken arm, exposing unnaturally red skin underneath. The ends of my lips fell as I pulled the shirt over her body. I didn't like seeing her flawless skin covered in the mixed blood of others. I shook my head mentally and left the room. She was driving me crazy and all she had done was sit in my tub.

I thought about her arm. I needed to fix that. I grabbed some boards and gauze. It had to be positioned correctly during the healing... I think. I don't exactly remember- I've never even tried to heal someone before. I've seen Charles do it. He cared about everyone, but I just couldn't understand the compassion for human life. Until now. I grabbed a pair of scissors on the way back for good measure and rushed back into the bathroom. Her breathing had become too steady.

"Hey!" I snapped. She couldn't be sleeping. Not with the crack in her skull. I approached slowly and kneel beside the tub. I'm suddenly glad I brought the scissors. "You can't sleep yet." I mumble as my fingers slip under her bra and cut the material. Her cheeks redden slightly and I move quickly down to her jeans and snip them off. I didn't look at her again before running the water.

"I'll be right back. Do not fall asleep." Scare her. I can't lose that. I know she's frightened of me and I can't lose that. It will be better if she is scared. I grab a few towels out of the closet and enter the bathroom once again. I want to laugh at the way her eyes widen at the extra towels. I take my jacket off and she tries to get up. It's comical to see her so innocent given her previous situation.

"If you become trouble I'm going to kick you right back out to Avery." I give the empty threat at the base of her neck. Her scent reminds me that I need to keep a healthy distance and I pull away quickly to set up the soaps and other materials on the table. I slip my shirt over my head and feel her gaze on me. When my eyes flick to her I hide my smile.

"It's not nice to stare." I tease her, but I don't think she quite comprehends my tone. I slip off my jeans and turn off the water. I almost step in, but the little wooden planks remind me that I have a job to do first.

I set her arm on the first board gingerly before setting the other on top of it. I grab the white fabric and wrap it tightly around to make sure her arm won't be able to wiggle out of it. About halfway through I can hear the tears falling into the water. I want to stop. I don't want to cause her more pain, but I know that this will help her.

"That won't hold very well." I have a smart ass reply on my lips, but one look at her softens me.

"It doesn't need to for long." I sigh and grab the loofa from the table and cover it with soap before scrubbing her body roughly. I want every bit of the blood from her skin and I take it away, leaving her pale body with a pink tone. Maybe I'm scrubbing too hard, but she seems to be enjoying it and too soon my task was almost done.

I could have easily scooted her forward and scrubbed her back from the outside, but I wanted to be close. I wanted to feel her body against mine, so I slipped in behind her and scrubbed her from there.

"So what happened?" I asked knowing full well what happened. I just wanted to hear her say it. Maybe if she bragged about her wrong doings and made Avery seem like the bad guy I could hate her more for being so naïve, but I have no such luck.

"Can I tell you tomorrow?" She asks and leans her head against me. I wanted to run my fingers through her reddened locks, but refrained.

"I just thought you might want to talk about it now. I have to drain the tub and rewash you with actual soap. I haven't even touched your hair yet and I need to fix your arm. Didn't know if you liked silence or not. You've seemed quite boisterous in the past week or so." I explain. Now she probably won't talk. I set the loofa on the table and trade it for some shampoo. The silence seems to go on and I wonder what is going on in that little head of hers. I lather every part of her hair aside from the roots with shampoo. I don't know where the fracture is and I don't want to risk accidentally killing her by pressing on it, though it's unlikely.

"I don't." She finally answers as I pull the plug from the drain. "My head is still fuzzy and I'm still not sure if this is a dream or not. I really hope it is." So she is still scared of me. Good.

"Suit yourself." I don't want to force her into talking about it. I walk in front of her again and feel like a teenager with the way my blood runs to a certain area of my body. Hundreds of years of practice keep it down, but the way her body looks right now, wet, pink, and a little timid turns me on greatly. I don't know if I should wash her. I don't know what I'll do if I linger on her body, so I make quick work of it.

Finally I can wash her hair. I forget about the fracture until she cringes and hisses an 'ow.'

"Just hold still for a minute. You're almost done." I tell her and soften the pressure on my fingers. At least it wasn't something that would kill her. I dump water over her head twice to be sure that every little sud is gone. I can tell she is ready to get up. She's nervous... or scared. I can't be sure which one. I pull her against my chest and seriously contemplate what I'm about to do. Charles did it all the time and nothing happened. She wouldn't turn, but what if she died in the next twenty four? Then she would turn and tonight would be wasted._  
Tonight wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you._  
The voice within reminded him. He brought his arm to his teeth and bit down. He was used to the sting it caused from when he would suck it out himself and gives it for others to become one of him, but he had never had anyone else do it.

"It will fix you." I want to yell, but I keep it in as she struggles beneath me. Of course it was useless, but I doubt her mind is clear enough to remember that. She licks the first bit and I can feel her expression of distaste. Then she sucked it up herself. Fuck. I groan and it's not from pain. I have never felt such a euphoric feeling. I lean my own head against the tub, savoring the delicious feeling of her mouth on my arm taking in my blood. I hear the bones in her arm shifting and crackling together until silence fills the room. I pull my arm away and cupped water into my palm, bringing it to her lips to get the vile stuff from her mouth. I doubted it tasted any good, but the selfish part of me wanted her to do it again. I wanted that feeling to last forever.

"See..." I let the word hang as I left to grab a towel and wrap it around me. I pull my soaking boxers down from under the towel before going back and cutting her arm free from the trap. I smiled when she began moving her arm, glad that I didn't feed her for nothing.  
_It wasn't for nothing._  
It felt amazing to me, but that would give her no benefit.

"The bruises don't go away unfortunately. It won't hurt where there are some, but it will take a day or two for the color to subside." I tell her when I see her eyes scanning the purple mess on her arm. I drain the tub once again and hold my hand out to her, clearing my throat so she can see. She grabs it with a small blush on her face and as soon as she is standing I leave. I dress for bed, or, what I dress in when I have company. I find clothes to be another hassle to deal with, but for her sake I cover myself.

"Here" I set an old nightgown out on the bed for her once she exits the bathroom. I don't linger. I don't want her to think that I am trying to see her. I don't want her to feel violated, just scared. As soon as I leave the room I wonder what I am going to do. She is in my bed. I wait until her breath and heart are at an even pace before looking back in to find her sleeping. I slip in on the other side of the bed and for the first time in 736 years I fall asleep quickly.


End file.
